Max
by madame.alexandra
Summary: Snapshots into Han, Leia, Jaina, and Noura's lives as they get ready for a new (and final!) baby. H/L. Identity 'verse. Anthology.
1. Chapter 1

a/n: welcome to Max's anthology!

* * *

_**12 ABY**_  
_**Coruscant**_

* * *

There was a time, long ago, when the Solo Household had not been filled with crying. Leia was sure of it. She couldn't _remember_ it, but there had to have been a time - a blessed time - there just _had_ to have been. Just like there had once been a time - hadn't there? - when she and Han had consistently slept through the night. And there'd been a time when the most daunting negotiations she faced were peace treaties, whereas now those things seemed like an easy day compared to the arguments that were involved in trying to get three-and-a-half year old Jaina Solo to get in the bath.

Leia thought of those times, vaguely, and sighed. She tried to draw on the peace that once had been to keep her inner calm, and she also reminded herself gently that she - she and Han both - desperately loved their children, and wouldn't trade them for the world. It was just that the last few weeks had been particularly murderous, which to an outsider might seem like a rather strong word, but to Leia seemed entirely mild and appropriate. Jaina was in the midst of one of her growth spurts, which Leia had figured out were somewhat easy to identify because they were also periods when her Force sensitivity heightened, and she became easy to frighten, anger, or upset. Every little thing set the poor kid off, and Leia tried to have patience with her - but Noura was giving her a hard time, too, at the moment, and that had her tearing her hair out.

Noura, who had been a hell of a pregnancy, turned out to be an impossibly sweet baby, as far as babies went. She was a remarkably good sleeper compared to Jaina and certainly, if Winter's stories had any truth, compared to Marisol Celchu. Since the beginning, Leia had felt that perhaps Noura had sensed that her mother needed to be dealt with gently, since Han had been deployed for six weeks after she was born. Leia had been starkly terrified of the task of working while also mothering two very small children by herself, though she'd kept that locked away on the inside. She had mostly been on maternity leave, but she'd also spent a lot more time working flexibly, and when she felt like it. She knew Han missed them enough already, and hated - _absolutely hated_ \- being away from his newborn. And of course, Leia hadn't really been alone. She'd had Yorev, Jaina's caretaker, and she'd had her father, and Rouge, and Chewbacca had stayed, and there had been Luke, and even Mara - no, she hadn't been alone, but there was still something harrowing and lonely about being _mom _without _dad_ around, and Han was only away at work. She'd developed a deep, awed respect for people who took on single parenthood.

And Noura had been a _good_ baby; she still was a good baby. She laughed often. She'd smiled much earlier than Jaina had. She liked to watch things and usually, as long as someone was holding her, she was content. She was, however, still an infant; Jaina's outbursts and moods affected her, and so did Leia's, and she seemed particularly sensitive to negative feelings. She often helped Leia to calm herself and exercise soothing control over her own emotions, because she was so conscious of how they might disturb Noura, but Noura seemed more able to sense _Han_ than Jaina had been, and Han wasn't use to dampening his emotions like Leia did.

Every new thing was an adjustment. Having Han back, even, glorious as it was, had been an odd adjustment, because Leia had grown so use to her routine, and her habit of calling on outside help. She'd stopped asking her father and Rouge and all the others to come by or to hang around at all hours, but she'd found herself, in the midst of her gratitude and delight that Han was back, lashing out at him at inconceivable moments, constantly 'teaching' him how to handle Noura. She knew it hurt his feelings - he wasn't a novice, after all; he'd been Jaina's primary caretaker all her life - but he'd tried to be understanding, knowing as he did that Noura and Jaina were different babies with different personalities, and for now, Leia was the expert on Noura.

They had found their rhythm fairly quickly, though; little squabbles were par for the course, and neither of them really took them to heart. Leia had also found her physical recovery after her second child to be much easier, though that perhaps was a fluke. It certainly improved her ability to reconnect with Han as a woman; the difference between waiting the five months she'd waited after Jaina was born to have sex again, and the barely seven weeks she'd waited after Noura, was palpable. She didn't think she'd realized how difficult _that_ had made getting used to motherhood until she experienced it a second time.

Han had been back for almost three months now, back in retired status, sleeping next to her, home with the children, and marveling over Noura's lovely sleep habits just like she did. At least he had been, until a couple of weeks ago when things had started to go kind of - haywire. There was the thing with Jaina, having a peak in her sensitivity - and Jaina was strong-willed and rambunctious anyway - and it seemed Noura was either feeding off Jaina, or having some small leap of her own. Of course it had all kicked off around the time Leia had come down with a nasty sinus infection that left her dosed with antibiotics, home sick from work for a week and a half, and struggling to keep up her ability to nurse, which was unexpectedly heartbreaking - and things really hadn't died down since.

She was still trying to regain her comfort level and talent with nursing, desperately trying to get herself back to a standard where she didn't have to supplement with formula, even though that certainly made it easier for Han to help her. She'd taken less maternity leave this time because she remembered how listless she'd begun to feel when she was out so long with Jaina, so nursing was her cherished bonding time. Noura was little and peaceful enough for her to take to work often, which helped, but the sinus infection had set her back.

"Noura," Leia murmured tiredly, curled up in bed with the baby. She stroked her little forehead, trying to soothe the fussing. "Just eat," she coaxed, keeping her voice level. "Nurse, baby," she encouraged.

The sheets were a mess and she had her robe pushed down, laying on her side and cuddling Noura close to her to try and get her to nurse. It was usually Noura's favorite way to nurse, snuggled up in the crook of Leia's arm while they laid down. It made her miraculously easy to feed at night and tuck right back into the bassinet without really waking up, a blessing Leia was constantly grateful for, even if she was itching to get Noura out of their bedroom and into her own nursery.

There were some things that were easier to get a move on with when it came to the second child, and having her adult space back was one of them.

Noura tossed her head and fussed, her face red. She wasn't crying loudly, but had been whimpering and whining for the better part of two hours now, and Leia had been going through ways to try to convince her to nurse for at least one of those. Noura usually didn't put up this much of a fight, but lately she'd preferred a bottle from Han. Leia hated that, though it was nothing against Han. She was just a little offended on behalf of her nipples, and wanted to demand of the baby - what's wrong with _mine_? She was sore, too, and if Noura didn't get it together soon, she had half a mind to go downstairs, snatch up Jaina, and make _her_ nurse - maybe that would fix whatever her problem was, since she had been having some sort of _sith forsaken_ meltdown for the _entire _afternoon.

Han was downstairs dealing with her, which Leia kept having to remind herself when she grew frustrated and weepy and wanted to demand to know why he wasn't coming to help her with Noura. _Oh, right_, she'd think, _because we have two babies, because we're idiots, and we thought this was a good idea._ But that bitter grumbling was followed of course by the unconditional love she felt for them. Even when they were both being incomprehensible, screamy little monsters.

"Noura," Leia murmured patiently. "Noura, what's wrong?" she asked.

She picked the infant up and shifted onto her back, cuddling Noura against her chest. Gingerly, she shifted to her other side, putting Noura back down, and deciding to try the other breast. She'd learned babies could be choosy for no reason, sometimes.

"Nouuuurraaa," she sang, softening her voice to a lullaby.

She rubbed Noura's stomach gently, and coaxed the baby's head towards her breast, shushing her.

From downstairs, she heard Jaina screech:

"BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO! YOU DO IT, DADDY!"

Leia blinked, shaking her head. Aggravation rose in her, and she had to tamp it down. Her first reaction was to wonder _why the hell_ Han was letting Jaina talk to him like that, but she had to - again- control her knee-jerk reactions and remember: Han was usually the more patient one, and Jaina was a toddler. Leia sighed, and reached out with a flutter of her power, gently shutting the bedroom door to block out the sound. Noura let out a pitiful wail, and Leia sighed again. Occasionally, using the force around her babies agitated them - that is, if it was happening around them, and not directed at them to soothe them, or connect them to her.

Noura kicked her legs furiously, and Leia ran her hands over them, trying to tilt her head towards her breast again.

"Noura, it's not that hard," she bargained under her breath.

Noura morosely turned her head away, and Leia sighed, gently letting her fidget. She gave up for a moment, and reached out, stroking the little bundle of sensitivity that identified Noura as Force sensitive. She concentrated, trying to discern some little bit of what might be distressing the baby. Infants were so, _so _hard to read. Jaina had gotten easier as she developed a vocabulary and could start, even in a rudimentary way, to identify what she was feeling. Leia was much better at sorting Noura out precisely because she'd already been through it with Jaina, but it was still often a guessing game. Hungry, tired, hurt, or need to be changed were obvious signals even Han could identify, once Leia had pointed out the very slightly different ways of crying, but anything else...estimates, and gambling.

She seemed to _sense...confusion,_ a vague sense of confusion. She had no idea what a four-month-old baby could be confused about, though. She gave Noura a mild glare, thinking if she just quieted down and ate, she might be less confused...but it was no use. Leia was close to reaching a breaking point; it might be time to switch kids. Have Han give Noura a bottle, and hand Jaina off to Leia - which would probably quickly put an end to any nonsense. Jaina was generally more snuggly towards Han, but she pushed his boundaries _relentlessly_. She rarely tested Leia.

Biting her lip, Leia rolled onto her back, and let Noura be for a moment. She stared up at the canopy of their bed, exhausted, her ears filled with Noura's mewling, tired cries, and the occasional shouting, feet-kicking, and loud, fake crying coming from downstairs. Jaina and those fake tears. They deserved an award, really, and Han, Han in his infinite blind spots where his firstborn was concerned, fell for them at least half the time.

Taking a deep breath, Leia sat up a little, and lifted Noura, taking her gently in her arms. Perhaps going back to try this position might be more comfortable. She elevated Noura's head and smiled at her brightly and warmly, and then she reached down and tickled her feet, adjusting her head and coaxing her again.

"Come on, come on," she murmured softly. "Noura," she sang, catching her breath when it felt like Noura was about to finally latch on - but alas, the baby tossed her head moodily and lurched away, refusing. Leia glared at her, exasperated. "You know, there are people in this house who would be happy to have these, if you don't want them," she growled, moody herself.

She meant Han, except Han had a maddening tendency to leave her breasts alone while she was nursing. He seemed to regard them as _not in service _for him, which she supposed some women might feel was very reverent and sweet, but it just pissed her off.

She pulled one shoulder of her robe up, scraping her bottom lip with her teeth, and shifted Noura to her shoulder, bouncing her. She closed her eyes, turning her head to inhale the powdery scent of Noura's hair, and fought back tears.

"Why won't you eat?" she whispered. "What's wrong, baby? What's wrong?" she pleaded.

The door burst open and Jaina came in, dragging a blanket behind her, her head thrown back dramatically, and wailing. Alarmed, Leia looked at her, eyes following as Jaina came around and grasped at the top of the mattress, trying to climb up on bed.

"Mommy," she howled, her voice hoarse. She then listed a jumble of complaints Leia couldn't understand, because she was mumbling, and ended with: "I want to go live with BABA!"

Han came in a moment later, a thunderous look on his face - pretty rare, where Jaina was concerned. He marched across the room. At his heels, Zozy was zooming around, stimulated by all the noise and activity. Jaina squawked at him and yanked some of the covers towards her, jostling Leia. Because of her sister's noise, or the jostling, or both, Noura started screaming at a new, heretofore undiscovered pitch.

Unable to stop herself, Leia turned a homicidal look on her husband.

"_Han!_" she shouted.

"Yeah, yeah, 'm sorry," he snapped, just about as irritated. He hastily kept his eyes down, darting around the bed to grab Jaina. "When did she learn to get upstairs that fast - _Jaina_," he said sternly, speaking loudly over her noise. "Mommy is tired and she's trying to feed No-ah," he said.

"I HATE NOR," screeched Jaina. "TAKE HER BACK."

Han tucked Jaina under his arm, looking harassed, and carted her out of the room, forgetting to shut the door. He set her down in the hall, and Zozy rocketed around the bedroom a few times before dashing out into the hall. Mere seconds later, Jaina let out an offended shout, and Han groaned.

"DADDY!" she howled. "_Zozy knocked me down the STAIRS!_"

"It was _one_ step," Leia heard him muttering tightly. "C'mere..."

"Is she okay?" Leia called, unsure if she could be heard over the noise both their daughters were making. She should probably feel more concern, but more than anything she was irritated Jaina was being such a terror. Everyone had talked about how awful two-year-olds were, but no one had said anything about three-year-olds apparently losing their souls -

"She's fine," was Han's clipped reply, and then she heard him order: "Get up. _Get up_, Jaina Yva - hey! If you - _bite me one more time, girl_\- "

Leia arched her brows, and nudged the door shut again. The biting, too, she and Han really needed to do something about the biting. Bail always told a story about Breha having one gentle talk with Leia, and Leia never biting again, but it always frustrated Leia because...she _wasn't_ Breha. She was often not gentle when it came to discipline, though of course she never physically struck Jaina.

The sounds of Han and Jaina faded, and Leia looked idly back down at Noura, her eyes stinging. She tried humming softly, but she was too agitated. She settled for rocking Noura a little. She couldn't suggest they trade babies, now; she was in too short of a mood to deal with the sort of nonsense Jaina was up to. She tried not to yell in anger, and she didn't trust herself right now. Noura looked at her forlornly and whimpered, her brow creased. Leia sensed that same vague bit of confusion, and then, at least with some relief, because she knew what was wrong, identified clearly that Noura had a headache.

She pressed Noura against her shoulder.

"It will go away eventually, sweetheart," she murmured soothingly. Her brow furrowed. She likely had a headache from crying so much, so the headache probably wasn't the root of the afternoon's discomfort. Leia had her own headache after all this, and there was a dull ache in her abdomen, too, which ruffled her feathers and made her hot with rage - of course, it figured, that in the middle of a rough month, right after she'd kicked a sinus infection, she was going to start menstruating, because things couldn't get any -

Leia froze suddenly, and the world spun on her, all at once tipping upside down and coming to a screeching halt. She barely, just barely, avoided vomiting all over herself and the baby as about ten different things clicked into place: antibiotics, contraceptive shots, her increasing exhaustion, the heightened sensitivity of both Jaina _and_ Noura - her mouth went dry, and she closed her eyes tightly; it really was taking an Olympian effort not to vomit.

One of her hands shook. Very carefully, she unfroze herself, and laid the baby down in the middle of the bed. She tethered Noura to her, imagining a thin silk cord drifting from her wrist to the baby's, tying them so neatly, and so intangibly, in the force that Leia would know if Noura moved a muscle - and she slipped into the 'fresher she shared with Han, leaving Noura safely in the center of the big bed, and shutting herself behind a door for a moment.

She sat down on the sani, and yanked the basket next to it up onto her lap, pawing through it for the small notebook she kept next to feminine napkins and tampons. She snatched it open, flicked through, and jammed her finger onto the last red dot, marking the end of her last period. She scanned through again, and then slammed the notebook back into the basket and dumped it angrily on the floor.

"Fuck," she hissed, grabbing her face in her hands. "_Fuuuck_."

She felt like she couldn't breathe, and squeezed her eyes shut. Yes, she and Han had...jumped right back into bed together, no hesitating, the damn second they had the clear. He'd been gone for a month and a half, for Sith's sake, she'd wanted him so badly it hurt. She _had_ a contraceptive shot at Noura's two month vaxx appointment that should have held her for...but god_damnit_, those antibiotics, she _knew_ antibiotics negated it, _why_ hadn't she made Han wear a condom? Did they even have condoms? She... with a jolt, realized she and Han had never used condoms together. She gnashed her teeth - well, she could be mistaken, her period could just be late; she always knew when she was pregnant. With Noura she had known the moment it had - but there was so much going on now, and it was the last thing she was anticipating, and her breasts were constantly sore, and her abdomen always aching for some reason or another, so how the hell was she supposed to identify a new pregnancy when she wasn't _looking_ for it?

Taking a deep, reluctant breath, she reached inside herself, gently probing, and there it was. _Baby._ _Three weeks in. _Noura was barely four months old, and maybe the poor little girl was wailing in misery because she was jealous.

Leia stood up, kicking aside tampons, and grasped for the sink. She _did_ vomit, and it had very little to do with pregnancy. She was tired. Stressed out. Her two lovely children were being nightmares today and she was on the brink of selling them both to a Dathomir clan and she was...pregnant. She stared at running water in the sink, unable to force herself to even rinse her mouth out. For a split second she thought she was going to black out, and then she shook her head.

Noura was crying on the bed. She needed to take care of Noura before anything else.

She wiped her mouth shakily, swished mouthwash, and then steeled herself and left the 'fresher. She rubbed her palms on her knees, then tied her robe tightly, and pulled all her hair over one shoulder.

"Hi, baby," she said brightly, picking Noura up. She was sure she sounded unconvincing, and she hated that she was about to do this to Han, but for her own sanity, she needed to be alone right now. She needed to gather herself together.

She carried Noura down the stairs and stumbled into the kitchen where she heard Han and Jaina. She only took half a moment to take in the scene - Jaina was still doing her pitiful moaning, whining, crying thing, except she was sitting on the floor with Zozy, and she had an icepop. The icepop seemed to be an olive branch between her and Han, and Leia didn't have the mental capacity to get annoyed about syrup dripping on the floor, or the fact that Jaina was sharing it with the damn mooka.

Jaina gave a little gasp as Leia walked in, and Leia hurried up to Han, handing him the baby before he had hardly registered her presence. He pursed his lips, confused, as she pushed Noura gently into his chest, her eyes pleading.

"Take her, please," she said softly.

"Leia?" Han asked, concerned. "Sweetheart?"

"Just - I _can't_ handle it right now. I need a break. I _know_ you need a break too, but I _can't_ \- take her," Leia begged through gritted teeth. "Take her, take them...to Dad's or, or Luke's," she trailed off, her head pounding. She thought she was going to be sick again. "Han, _please_," she said faintly. "I'm okay, I am, but I need - "

"Okay," he said firmly, without any more question. "Okay, Leia. I got her." He gave her an encouraging nod, and Leia put a hand to her head, some weight lifting off of her shoulders.

Her lips trembled, and she knew it distressed Han to see her start crying, but she just waved him off, a fierce look on her face. She'd explain later. She would. She just needed to wallow. She needed to calm down, first. She turned on her heel and practically ran out of the kitchen. Jaina, who had perked up a bit and dried her eyes at Leia's appearance, looked mystified when her mother promptly left the room as quickly as she had come. Annoyed, she whacked her icepop against Han's leg and threw her head back theatrically, resuming her dramatic tears.

"Why doesn't Mommy _love _me?" she wailed.

Unable to decide if he was heartbroken, or amused - or a little of both - Han looked down and gave her a perplexed look. He adjusted Noura on his hip – for what it was worth, she cuddled up against him contently, as if relieved she was no longer being cajoled into nursing.

Leia fled up the stairs, Jaina's morose cry ringing in her ears. She knew Jaina was just being bratty right now, but it still stung a little, and she pressed her wrist to her mouth to stop keep herself quiet until she was safe in the master bedroom. When she was, she slammed the door, and sank down against it, bursting into sobs._I do love you, _she thought, _I love you both so much. _For the first time, though, she was scared that wasn't enough, and she felt a crushing wave of guilt that there was no excitement at all with the discovery of this pregnancy.

* * *

Han tried not to dwell on Leia's mood. He knew she'd talk to him when she had calmed down or when she was ready. He never really had to pry things out of her anymore, not unless it was something regarding work and some threat she'd received. She didn't tell him about those unless they included him or the children. Which of course, he didn't like, but he knew why she kept things like that close hold.

When it came to _them_, and their relationship, feelings, and family, she didn't lock things away. He thought she must just be overwhelmed. It _had_ been a particularly harrying day. And now that she had the luxury of being able to take a break – which she had rarely, if at all, had while he was gone, she was no doubt taking advantage of it.

As it were, both Jaina and Noura calmed down and got over themselves after a little jaunt to their grandfather's house, and on the way back – hours later – Han flew around aimlessly, taking back ways and long ways and all kinds of ways so that both of them fell asleep in their safety speeder seats.

Of course, when he got home, and parked the speeder, he realized he didn't think that one through very well. He'd stood staring at them for a good ten minutes or so as he realized he couldn't get both of them upstairs without waking at least one of them up. If he woke Jaina to make her walk, she might be a nightmare, but Jaina was too heavy for him to handle one handed without risking her taking a tumble…and he refused to call Leia to help him carry them, just in case she was still having a meltdown.

So much for bringing them home all ready for bed and being hero husband.

Ultimately, he woke Jaina gently and made her hold his hand all the way up to the suite, while Noura sleepily fidgeted around on his shoulder. Jaina yawned quite a bit, but seemed much mellower than she had all day, and while in the lift, gave Han an a pointed look and said:

"Nor is hungry."

Han looked down at her, squeezing her hand.

"You can tell that, can you?" he asked quietly.

Jaina nodded, and yawned again. She leaned into his leg sleepily, and Han smiled at her, immediately deciding to forgive all of her absolutely monstrous behavior today. That was why kids were so cute, he'd decided a long time ago – because if they weren't, parents might routinely murder their offspring.

That was an exaggeration, though…Han had never come _close_ to feeling like he wanted to hurt one of the girls.

"We'll take care of her," he assured Jaina.

He didn't know what he expected to find when walked through the door, but he didn't have to wait to find out. Leia was waiting calmly, opening it before he even got his palm over the reader.

"Mama," Jaina started, but Leia was already nodding.

"I know, I know," she murmured. "She's hungry."

She was turning down the collar of her blouse and coaxing Noura to nurse before Han had even shut the door.

"Han, can you put Jaina to bed?" she murmured turning and carrying Noura to the couch. Han stopped to watch her. He always found it fascinating that she could walk and nurse at the same time. Seemed _extremely_ complicated to him.

Leia sat down, looking exhausted, but fine, and Han looked down at Jaina, releasing her hand. Jaina looked back up at him warily.

"Daddy," she said, starting to whine. "I don't _really_ want to do bed," she protested.

Before he could answer, Leia turned her head.

"Jaina Yvaine," she said sharply – it wasn't a _yell_, Han had never heard Leia yell at them, per se, not in absolute anger, at least – but it was commanding, and Jaina's face sobered up real quick. "Do not argue. _Bedtime_."

Jaina shuffled her feet, and took Han's hand, nodding. She looked sulky, but she didn't protest, and Han reached down and picked her up. He took her over to Leia so she could give her a kiss, and then carried her upstairs to do the bedtime routine. It wasn't too hard to complete; she was still pretty groggy from the flight home, and she must have exhausted herself acting like a rancor all day, anyway. She engaged in a lot of pouting, and moved very slowly as if to make a point, but she didn't cry or mouth off, and she was dead asleep before Han even got to page three of her latest favorite story.

He gently extricated himself from her toddler bed, tucked her in, and brushed her hair back, taking a minute to admire how peaceful and cute she looked, and marvel at how such a sweet little angel could sometimes behave so badly.

He left her door cracked, with the hall nightlight glowing in soothingly, and crept out into the hall; right at the same time Leia came out of Noura's nursery. She had a tired, but determined look on her face, and she pushed her hair back, raising her eyes to his.

She studied him for a moment, then bit her lip, and raised her hand, crooking her finger at him. She wriggled it, slipping past him, and indicating he should follow.

"I need to talk to you," she said shortly.

Unable to stop himself, Han hurried to follow her, giving her back an incredulous look.

"Yeah, _obviously_," he said, louder than he meant to, and the murderous look she gave him was all at once comical and the most terrifying thing he'd ever seen. He lowered his voice immediately, conscious of the sleeping babies. "Sorry," he hissed. "Sorry."

Leia stiffly turned her back on him, and led him down the hall, into their master suite, and then into the 'fresher, where she waved the lights on, and reached past him to shut the door.

Han watched it click locked dubiously, and then turned to look at her, pressing his back into the wall behind him. He crossed his arms, and studied her a moment, unsure what the hell was going on. After a moment, he arched an eyebrow.

"We hiding from the kids?" he quipped.

She had, after all, just _locked_ them in their own 'fresher.

Leia perched gingerly on the edge of their tub. She rubbed her forehead, peering closely at the palm of her hand, and then let out a breath. It sounded like she might have been holding it the entire afternoon, since he left at least. He watched her, a frown touching his lips. What the hell was –?

"Han, I'm pregnant," she said.

Han blinked at her. Her voice sounded dull, and was a little muffled, even though she slowly lowered her hand from her face as she said it. Still, he had probably misunderstood her, because it sounded like she'd said she was pregnant, and that was just…that _couldn't_ be right.

Han made a sound that might have been a laugh. He shook his head a little.

"What d'you mean, you're pregnant?" he quoted.

Leia just looked at him moodily, her eyes sharp on him.

Han shook his head again, reaching up to rub the back of his neck.

"Is it Tricksters' Day?" he asked.

Her eyes narrowed.

"Because this would be _so_ funny," she said icily.

Han stared at her.

"But…we just…_you_ just – maybe you're confused," he said lamely.

His thoughts were suddenly all running together. Pregnant, _pregnant_? Noura was…Noura was…so little; he felt like he'd been gone forever, and missed so much, but suddenly it seemed like such a ghastly short amount of time.

Leia raised her eyebrows very slowly.

"I am never wrong," she said crisply.

"I mean, not confused," Han said hastily, swallowing hard. "S'just – you just had Noura, sort of, so maybe," he shrugged. He waved his hand. "Your senses are just…thinkin'…there's too many babies in the house, and it's confused. _It's_ confused about Jaina and Noura and all their…baby energy. Not you."

Leia stared at him. He thought…_the Force_ was confused? He grimaced under her gaze, realizing how stupid it sounded even as he said it. Luke would probably laugh himself into a coma if he ever heard.

"You know, you're right, Han," she said, in a dangerously placid voice, "maybe Jaina is pregnant."

Han gave her a dubious look. Evidently at the end of her ability to remain collected and snappish, Leia put her face in her hands, and groaned softly. Her shoulders dropped, and Han let his head fall back hard against the door, staring, wide-eyed, at the ceiling. He cleared his throat, and then straightened his head, stepping forward.

"You might be wrong," he said again, stepping forward. "Y'know, you were wrong that one time," he said, correcting her. "You were."

"I have never been wrong, Han!"

"Yes, you have!" he argued. "Before we met the Naberries, you thought you were pregnant, and you were wrong."

Leia gave a dismissive scoff.

"That was before I had ever had a baby," she said. "It was different. I had no idea what it felt like."

Han shuffled forward and went down on one knee. He scratched his jaw, and then flung his hand out.

"Where's you book?" he asked gruffly. "Where's – " he rummaged in the box near the sani, and pulled out the little journal she used, flicking through it. His eyes scanned her meticulous red dots tracking the days and weeks, and he pointed…and frowned, looking up. "Oh," he said, wincing. "That's…more than just late," he admitted.

Leia leaned very close to him, her nose almost touching his.

"Would you like me to pee on a stick for you?" she hissed.

Han snapped the book shut, and leaned back. Hastily, he replaced it, and shook his head. She looked quite terrifying, staring at him like that. In fact, she looked like the female of a species who _ate_ the male after mating, and he wasn't interested in that sort of outcome here.

He reached behind him and braced his palm on the sink, standing up. He leaned against it, the point sharply stabbing into his back. It anchored him to the moment as his head spun, and suddenly, he felt an unexpected wave of guilt. He was supposed to be _happy_. This was supposed to be a happy thing; he'd always been happy before. He shouldn't be sitting here trying to insist she couldn't be pregnant.

She didn't seem happy either, though. He couldn't blame her; this was so…Noura was barely four months old – or _was_ she even four months yet? Han knew her life day, but he lost track of exact times sometimes since he'd been deployed. He tended to subtract the six weeks he'd been gone from her age, trying to forget he'd missed it.

Han sighed. Leia looked up at him, her arms hanging limply across her knees. Her mouth was tight, tired, her face pale, eyes just slightly red. She seemed to be looking at him with disappointment, and he shifted uncomfortably.

"Han," she whispered, "I was hoping you'd be your usual come-what-may self," she confessed. "Perk me up a little."

Han twitched his shoulders apologetically. He lifted his chin.

"I don't wanna act carefree when you're upset, Sweetheart," he said frankly.

He'd definitely learned – the year they'd met the Naberries, as a matter of fact – that acting like he wasn't worried or scared at all hadn't been healthy for their relationship.

Leia laced her fingers together and looked at her palms. She didn't say anything.

"_Are_ you," Han began warily. "Upset?"

She sighed. She pressed her palms to her mouth, and looked at him over her fingertips. She lifted her shoulders.

"I went through the stages of grief while you were gone. I cried all afternoon," she said grimly. "I," she started, and trailed off. "I _got_ it while I was trying to nurse Noura," she told him. "That's why the girls have been so anxious lately, their senses are going haywire and they don't know why. It's," she gently extricated her fingers, and pointed to her abdomen, "her."

"It's a girl?" Han asked, distracted.

Leia shrugged.

"I don't know, yet," she said. "I'm assuming. Based on our track record. I think you only have x chromosomes."

"I have at least one y chromosome," Han retorted.

Leia gave him a faint smile. She slouched a little more, and sighed. Han shifted, rubbing his palm on his knee.

"Okay," he said, letting out a heavy sigh. "Okay. You're, um…what, a few weeks?"

Leia nodded.

Han folded his arms tightly.

"What do you want to do?" he asked.

Leia cut her eyes towards him sharply, her body suddenly angled away from him. She looked at him through her lashes, her lips compressing into a thin line.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Han blinked warily.

"You seem really upset, Leia," he said quietly. "You said you cried all afternoon. That ain't normal."

Leia barely parted her lips to speak.

"And you took it so well?" she retorted.

"'M not sayin' I had a perfect reaction," he said hastily. "But crying all afternoon? The stages of grief?" he quoted. "That doesn't sound good. That's – "

"I am telling you how I felt," Leia broke in, "and the emotions I went through. I am being honest and open with you," she said, her voice starting to shake, "and you're going to tell me I'm…what, abnormal?"

Han swallowed hard, recognizing dangerous territory. He tried not to get angry, but his shoulders did tense up – yeah, he was choosing his words wrong. But he was worried about her, too. She had just been through an exhausting, miserable pregnancy, a long, tiring labor, and a period of time during which she was seeing to two girls under four years old alone.

"No, I want to make sure you're okay," he said curtly. "And I'm tryin' to say we can…discuss things, if you want to…discuss things," he said awkwardly.

Leia looked away. He hesitated, and opened his mouth again.

"Leia, if it's better for you to – "

"I know what you're suggesting."

"'M not suggesting it. 'M sayin' if you want to _say_ it to me, 'm not gonna throw a fit on you, or call you names, or – "

"You think I want an abortion, Han? You really think I want a fucking abortion?" she interrupted, her head swiveling back to him violently.

Her eyes narrowed and she glared at him, gripping the tub on either side of her. Her knuckles turned white, and Han stared at her with wide eyes. He had no idea what the best response was. No, he didn't think she did, but he thought she might want to be able to say she wished this wasn't happening right now. Or, well, if she did, he'd –

"I _came_ to terms with this while you were _out_ with the girls," she said again, and moved one hand to slide it over her abdomen protectively.

She licked her lips and took a deep breath.

"It's not a good time. You're back, I'm getting back into things at work, in such a good way," she paused, her lips trembling. "There's nothing wrong with this baby, though, Han, you know I can tell when it's going to be fine and…the way I feel so…deeply connected, even from the beginning, even if I wanted to…I don't think I could," she admitted.

Leia shook her head.

"I want to be clear," she said. "I do _not_ want to terminate. It didn't even cross my mind." She smiled almost ruefully, running her hand under her nose and sniffling. "Even if I wanted to," she said again. "You'd never forgive me."

Han stiffened a little, his jaw tightening.

Leia looked down at her abdomen, and started to go on.

"We did want three," she began.

Han grunted, cutting her off.

"Hang on," he muttered. "I don't like that, I don't like that you said that," he said tersely. "What you just – I'd never _forgive_ you?" he quoted. His brows knit, and he shook his head. "Why'd you say that?"

Leia touched her neck with both hands, and then folded her arms tightly. She hesitated for what seemed like a long time.

"I," she started. "Well, Han," she said, exasperated. "I always felt you…I don't know," she said, wincing, She didn't want to offend him or hurt him – obviously she already had. She bit her lip. "Speaking of…that scare," she said, dryly. "Do you remember when you asked me…if I'd really not want it, if I had been pregnant, then?"

Han shrugged a little violently. He nodded.

"I took it to heart," Leia said. "You _wouldn't_ like an abortion, Han. Not me having one, and not _your_ baby."

Han slid his hands down the side of his pants roughly, frustrated.

"So?" he snapped. "Not liking the idea isn't the same as… never forgiving you, or trying to – to stop you, or make you feel bad," he argued. "I mean, what if you needed…because it was a sick baby, or your life was in danger or – "

"That's very different, Han, that's _very_ different than me, happily married to you, deciding I'm not really 'feeling' it right now and deciding to get an abortion! You'd never look at me the same if I told you, right now, that I was not going to have this one."

"That's _not true_, Leia!" he hissed angrily, trying to keep his voice down. "That's not – it's not," he insisted. "I might be sad, I might be a little pissed off, and I might not get it, but that's the whole damn point – _I don't get it._ I'm not Force sensitive, I'm not the one who gets pregnant, I don't go through labor, and I don't nurse them. I don't know what it's like, so if you needed to," he waved his hand, "if you need a break, so that you don't lose your mind, or your health, if you need to just have Noura and Jaina for now, of course I'd forgive you!"

He shook his head.

"There'd be nothing to _forgive_, Leia. I love you. I love our _kids_, but I'd never choose one that hadn't been born yet over _you_."

He looked away for a moment, clearing his throat hoarsely.

"I guess that sounds kind of shitty, but – " he started.

"No," Leia interrupted softly. "It doesn't sound shitty, not to me."

She was quiet a moment, and then she dipped her head, and covered her face, closing her eyes lightly. She seemed to take a few deep breaths, and wiped her nose again, looking up with wet eyes. Han watched her for a moment, and then he pushed away from the sink, and knelt next to her, leaning against the tub. He squeezed her knee.

"Wish you were happier about this, Sweetheart," he said sincerely. "Hell, I wish I hadn't been such a dick when you told me."

"You weren't a dick," Leia mumbled.

"Kinda was."

She sniffled, and looked at him sideways.

"…You're right," she agreed.

Han grinned.

"This is rough, huh? This isn't what we planned."

She nodded, sliding her hand over his.

"It's hard to tell you everything I'm feeling. Not because I don't _want_ to, but because I can't…put it into words every well," she said huskily. "I do want you to know that I do not, I do _not_, want an abortion, Han."

He nodded in return.

"Okay," he said, lifting his shoulders. "I don't either."

A small smile touched her lips.

"I'll need you for this one," she said. "You'll…I need…if Carlist wants you again," she said, biting her lip. "I need you to say no."

Han snorted.

"You got me," he promised.

Leia let out a slow breath.

"You know, it's…some of the things I told myself, while you were…out," she said, holding his gaze. "It's a blessing even if it's hard. I was so worried I couldn't have kids, before Jaina. You were worried, with the carbonite. And this," she snapped her fingers. "And we _did_ want three, and not _as_ far apart as Jaina and Noura," she trailed off, sighing.

"Yeah, we _settled_ on three," Han said.

Leia gave him a slightly cool look.

"You think this is a good time to start that argument again?"

Han grinned.

"I'm kiddin', Leia," he swore. "Three. I'm good with three."

She brought his knuckles to her lips and kissed them.

"Can I mope for a moment?" she requested.

"Mmhm."

"I had weaned Jaina and had my body back and right when it felt really normal again, I had Noura, and we planned that, and now," she sighed. "I'll be pulled in two different directions, pregnant, nursing," she rested her chin on his knuckle. "It's a lot. For a long time."

Han shrugged.

"Wean Noura," he suggested.

Leia looked appalled.

"She nurses better than Jaina! And she's not even close to – I nursed Jaina until she was – "

"Do what you want," Han said gently. "But if you wean Noura, I can take care of feeding her at night, _all_ the time," he pointed out. "More sleep."

Leia shifted. She sighed uncertainly.

"I'll think about it," she muttered. She _liked_ nursing Noura. It made her feel close to her.

She lowered Han's hand, and then pulled it forward, tucking it against her abdomen. There was nothing there to physically indicate pregnancy; her stomach was still soft, though it was far from flat – she'd never lost all of her Jaina weight, and hadn't tried to, and Noura had left her marks, too.

He fanned his fingers out thoughtfully, pressing very, very gently.

"You feel okay?" he asked. "Any symptoms yet?"

"Just the crushing fear that I will psychologically fuck up my children."

"Yeah, but besides that," Han said, deadpan.

She dipped her head, and smiled at him. Han shifted to sit on the floor, leaning back, and beckoned to her. She gingerly moved off the tub, and settled down next to him, leaning into his side on the floor. She rested her head on his shoulder with a soft sigh, reaching up to rest her hand against his heart.

"Father is going to kill you," she said mildly.

"Me? Huh-uh. You think I'm taking the blame for this? I'm tellin' him it's not my kid," Han joked.

Leia laughed. She rubbed one of her eyes, and shook her head – and then she sighed.

"Jaina," she whispered, exasperated.

Mere seconds later, there was a mournful knock on the bathroom door. Jaina had a penchant for getting out of bed – even the rails they had attached to her toddler bed didn't really deter her. She knew how to unlock the mechanisms with the Force.

Leia threw a twitch of power at the door, and unlatched it. It swung open gently to reveal Jaina standing there, her hair all knotted and messy, little footed pajamas rumpled, and her favorite stuffed toy clutched in her arms. Leia looked at her expectantly.

"Mama," Jaina said, her lips trembling. "Zozy sleep in Nor's room and not me," she whined pitifully.

"Aww," Han sympathized.

Jaina took a step forward, tears spilling down her face.

"Hey, it's not that bad, Sweetheart," Han soothed, alarmed.

"I was mean to you today," Jaina moaned, throwing herself down and sprawling over their laps. "_Don't_ un-_love_ me!"

She tossed over onto her stomach and buried her face in their knees dramatically, and Han shared a baffled look with Leia. Leia just shrugged. At her age, Jaina was given to pretty theatrical bursts of emotion, and she was not about to question it if she wanted to come snuggle and apologize for her attitude.

"We won't un-love you," Han said, stroking her hair.

He raised his brows, and Leia gently lifted Jaina under her arms, pulling her close. She tucked the three-year-old against her shoulder, running her hands through her hair, and tilted her head back, content to hold her for a moment.

"Mama," Jaina mumbled into Leia's shoulder. "You feel weird."

Leia grinned. She shared a helpless look with Han over Jaina's head – they certainly had their hands full, with their little force-sensitive girls, with their Solo blood and their vivacious personalities, and it was only going to be a wilder ride to navigate the addition of one more – my _lastborn_, Leia thought, as she hugged her firstborn a little tighter.

* * *

_-alexandra_

_story #392_


	2. Chapter 2

a/n: onwards!

* * *

_**12 ABY**_  
_**Coruscant**_

* * *

Twice now Han had been through this – three times, actually, though he did not particularly like to dwell on the first – and _still_, every time he first heard the fluttery sound of a heartbeat on the sono monitor, he was awed. Whether it was his first baby or his third, it was no small thing, and Han was grinning from ear to ear the moment he heard it.

This time was also a little different than before because this time, he was able to –

"So, you hear the heartbeat," Dr. Mellis said, and started to lift her hand.

"Here it is," Han said, beating her to it. He pointed to the screen; pretty confident he was looking at the right point.

He smirked, nodding to himself. With Jaina, and the first baby Leia had lost, he'd had so much trouble reading the sonos. He'd been able to see Noura pretty easily as the weeks went on, but he was willing to bet he'd gotten it right this time.

Dr. Mellis gave him an appraising look, letting her hand fall. She shifted the scanning wand slightly on Leia's abdomen, and nodded, pursing her lips.

"Yes," she agreed sagely. "I see Han is a pro, now," she remarked.

Leia let her head fall back, eyes tilted up to view the image. She smiled contently, watching the very subtle undulations. She was viscerally aware of the baby's presence – and its good health – but it was always a blessing to have the obstetrician confirm it.

"As expected," Dr. Mellis murmured, her eyes alert on the screen. "Good measurements," she said, almost to herself, nodding all along. "Heartbeat is perfect. Leia, your blood pressure is good, good, good," she flicked her eyes at Leia wryly. "But you already know all that."

Leia only lifted one shoulder simply. Dr. Mellis looked back at the screen.

"Do you want a copy?" she asked.

"Yeah," Han grunted aloud, as Leia nodded. They always took copies.

Dr. Mellis went about inputting the proper codes. After a moment, she removed the wand from Leia's skin, hung it up, and ran a slightly damp, warm towel over Leia's abdomen. Leia smoothed her hand over it afterwards, cupping her hand under her navel gently. There was barely even the slightest curve, little indication she was pregnant – not enough for anyone to notice. Before anything else, anyone who looked closely would just think a bit of extra curve was the remnant of Jaina and Noura.

Which it generally still was.

"Let's see," Dr. Mellis said, smirking a little. "You can tell me, of course, but shall I see how close my estimate comes? Your little sixth sense really does help me estimate due dates better for my other patients," she joked.

Leia lifted her chin, a little rueful.

"I don't know the conception date this time," she admitted. "Not – or well, the baby doesn't understand time, as you know," she said conversationally, her lips turning up, "I knew how far along, almost to a date, but," she shrugged.

"You can't count back from the date you found out? Pinpoint it?" Dr. Mellis asked curiously.

At that, Leia blushed. Han sat back in his chair a little smugly.

"Well, we were," she broke off, biting her lip. "…_active_."

"Ah," Dr. Mellis said, winking. "That's right; you were deployed," she said, nodding at Han. "That's good," she said, with a firm nod. "Tells me you recovered well from Noura."

Han frowned a little. He sat forward at that. Leia shot him a warning look.

Dr. Mellis continued –

"Well, in my expert opinion, you're twelve weeks," she said firmly. She then paused, eying Leia, and Leia inclined her head, confirming. "I could have detected with a sono at about half that time. Is there a reason you waited to come in?"

She didn't sound stern, just curious. Leia shrugged.

"I didn't have any doubts," she murmured. "I didn't have concerns, either," she added, "about the baby's health."

Dr. Mellis nodded.

"Understandable. You're a good patient, and you know how look after your health while you're pregnant. Are you still unconcerned, or - "

"I have a question," Han broke in loudly.

Leia gave him another warning look, sharper this time. In fact, it was almost a glare. Dr. Mellis fell silent politely, and looked between them expectantly. After a moment Leia shook her head, and glanced over at the doctor, waiting for Han to go on as if she were quite annoyed already with what he was going to ask.

"Yes, Han?" Dr. Mellis asked, amused.

"Is this safe for her?" Han asked warily. "'Cause, you know, Noura's only five months old, she's brand new," he informed her – as if Dr. Mellis _hadn't_ delivered the baby with her own two hands. "It could be dangerous, right? Having babies right after each other?"

Dr. Mellis considered Han for a moment.

"Has he been reading the 'Net?" she asked Leia.

Leia just gave a protracted roll of her eyes in response. Han glared at her, and folded his arms stubbornly, looking at the obstetrician.

"So what if I read some stuff?" he retorted. "It's not all lies."

"Do I need to remind you of the time you told me that hiccups gave the baby brain damage?" Leia asked crisply.

Han did look fairly sheepish at that.

"I didn't – I said – if they got hiccups too _much_," he trailed off, scowling. That had been with Jaina, anyway. They had bo_t_h been kind of neurotic and panicky about _Jaina_. Trying to be confident, he looked back at Dr. Mellis pointedly, even giving a loud tap of his foot to remind her he was waiting.

Dr. Mellis interlaced her fingers and propped one elbow on Leia's raised exam table, considering Han.

"To begin, let me ask this," she said cautiously. "Is there some…hesitancy to go through with the pregnancy?"

"No," Leia said, at the same time Han emphatically answered: "Huh-uh."

Dr. Mellis nodded.

"Why?" Han asked suspiciously. "You gonna tell us somethin' that would…change that?"

"No, she's not," Leia said sharply. "Nothing is going to happen to me, Han."

He gave her a sideways look, snorted, and turned back to Dr. Mellis _again_, almost as if he were ignoring her.

"I doubt anything I say will change your feelings if you want the baby," Dr. Mellis said frankly. She paused thoughtfully for a moment. "In general, I – most in my profession, that is – do not recommend having babies right on top of each other. We call it a short interval pregnancy, and it's usually common in older women who feel they are running out of time, so to speak," she said.

Her tone remained easy and conversational.

"There are some risks associated," she said. "Those _most_ often being a higher chance of preterm birth, some increased risk of preeclampsia, low birth weight," she flexed her fingers loosely. "There are a lot of complexities that go into it. The younger the woman, the _less_ the increased risks are, if that makes sense – convoluted, I know," she said, though Han was staring at her intently listening to every word. "Leia's still plenty young," she pointed out, "which works in her favor."

"The other stuff, though," Han said. "How high are the risks?"

"Han," Leia was starting to sound exasperated. "This is going to go fine," she said, trying to keep her voice soothing. "You know I know when it's…not," she said, her voice fading slightly.

"You know about the babies," Han said warily. "You've never predicted when _you're_ gonna get hurt," he pointed out. "You didn't know you were gonna cut your shin on that – "

"For Sith's sake," Leia grumbled under her breath.

She flicked a wrist at Han in annoyance, and rolled her head to the side. She said something to herself in her native language, and Han just looked at her defiantly, blinking back to Dr. Mellis.

"Leia's had two healthy babies, two normal pregnancies," Dr. Mellis said firmly.

"We've also had two miscarriages," Han pointed out.

"Han is quite interested in sleeping on the couch tonight," Leia said sweetly.

"If you need to hear me say nothing could go wrong, Han, I won't," Dr. Mellis said flatly. "Something can always go wrong, and I think you know that. I am comfortable saying that as of now, and based on my experience in the field and with Leia herself; I'm not particularly worried about her getting safely through a short interval pregnancy. There might be some enhanced concern if she'd had a surgical delivery with Noura, but she didn't."

She tilted her head.

"Obviously we haven't done the usual blood tests and amnios yet, but Leia usually knows if something is wrong genetically that affects viability, and if she's feeling healthy," Dr. Mellis paused to look at Leia, and Leia nodded firmly, "then I would advise against working yourself into a panic."

"'M not panickin'," Han muttered hastily.

He shifted, and looked over at Leia. She looked back at him, her features softening a little. She knew he was just worried about the toll it would take on her. It wasn't a dig at her personal strength, just concern for her well-being.

In the silence, Dr. Mellis did cock her head, pursing her lips.

"I _did_ think we gave you a contraceptive shot, though," she mused, peering at Leia. "When Xio saw Noura for her vaxxes."

Leia sighed gloomily.

"I was taking antibiotics when Han came home," she admitted after a moment.

"Were you told – ?"

"Yes," Leia said, with a grimace. "I, well," she snorted. "He was gone a long time, and when he came back, I'd missed him, and on top of that he was so enamored of Noura," she sighed, shaking her head at herself.

"Evolutionary drive is a relentless aphrodisiac," Dr. Mellis said wryly.

Han smirked.

"I'd say it's a very good idea we never risked unprotected sex during the war," Leia said dryly.

Dr. Mellis laughed.

"For what it's worth," Leia said, shrugging, "I feel better with this one than I did with Noura. Better than I did with Jaina, even," she said. "Perhaps this one will take easy on me."

Dr. Mellis straightened up a little bit, nodding.

"On that note, it is important that you do not overtax yourself," she said. "I trust you to know your own body better than anyone, but extra care wouldn't be unwarranted."

"You had to say that in front of him?" Leia quipped, jerking her chin at Han. He looked extremely smug.

"Rest when you can. I mean it when I say there's no need to be alarmist about risks, but there's no need to be reckless with your body, either. Sure, you've done this before, you're an old pro, but it's still a quick pregnancy. Balance is good."

She licked her lips.

"I don't know what you're planning in terms of maternity leave, but if you find yourself stretched thin, I'd recommend weaning Noura," she said frankly. "If you think your body needs some break somewhere, some stress alleviated, handing night feedings off to Han completely and having your breasts to yourself for a few months before a new baby might be good for your morale, if you plan to nurse this one," she said. "Or," she added, shrugging, "don't wean Noura, and start the third one on formula from their first breath."

"You don't recommend nursing two?" Leia asked.

"I recommend doing whatever feels right for you and your babies," Dr. Mellis said firmly. "I'm just offering suggestions if _you_ feel you need some sanity, space, sleep, or all three."

Leia shifted her head on the cushion, smiling. She was constantly reminded how much she valued this woman as a doctor and, at this point, a friend. Dr. Mellis was always open, always thoughtful, and never one to skirt the truth, or shame a woman for her choices, provided they were well-intentioned choices.

Dr. Mellis looked between them again, smiling, waiting for more questions. When none came, she set her shoulders back.

"With Leia's senses, the genetic screening we do is generally redundant," she said, "but I can run the requisite blood tests today, and we can schedule a time for the amnio. You two know the routine," she said, as they nodded. "You're past ten weeks, so determining the sex is possible in the blood test," she said, dangling the bait. "Interested?"

"It's a girl," Han said.

Dr. Mellis smirked.

"I thought I remembered you sensing it fairly early with Noura," she started, fascinated, but Leia had reached out to smack her hand against Han's shoulder lightly.

"The baby hasn't told me yet," she corrected, rolling her eyes at him again. "He just _thinks_ he knows."

"I'm two for three," Han drawled.

"Don't tell us," Leia said, answering Dr. Mellis' question. "They always tell me. I like when they tell me."

Dr. Mellis nodded. She pushed her stool back a little, sliding the sono cart away, and Leia sat forward, parting her lips.

"Oh, Arksiah," she began. "I wanted to ask about…ahh, this is my last baby," she said. "So, in terms of a more permanent form of birth control," she trailed off.

Dr. Mellis was neatly snapping gloves off her hands.

"Hmm. Him?" she asked, nodding at Han. "Or you?"

"Me," Leia said, and Han sat forward.

"Now you gotta get onto _her_ for bein' on the 'Net too much," he growled. "I _offered_ to get snipped, I said – "

"It seems smarter to risk a complication for me, considering we'll already have the babies we need," Leia interrupted loudly, "rather than risk something happening to your – "

"Can you believe her?" Han asked, smirking. "Sex, sex, sex. S'all she thinks about."

The bridge of Leia's nose flushed, and she stared hard at Dr. Mellis, who laughed.

"For _either_ procedure, complications are exceedingly rare. In fact, the most common complication is someone ending up pregnant again after a vasectomy or a ligation," she snorted. "Oops."

She tossed her gloves into a biohazard bin on the sono cart.

"Well, if you want a ligation, that's easy enough to do almost immediately after you have the baby," she told Leia. "The procedure is so advanced at this point we don't even consider it surgical, by the usual standards. I mean the incision is _miniscule_. Recovery is almost nothing. I could do it the day the baby is born, and send you home with no extended recovery, if you want. If for some reason you need a surgical delivery, I can do it simultaneously."

Leia nodded.

"That's what I'd like," she said. "Day of."

Han shifted restlessly. He didn't say anything, and Dr. Mellis glanced at him. She nodded.

"I'll make note of it," she said. "If you don't mind, will you tell me the same thing at every appointment, on the off chance you change you mind? I never assume a woman is going to, but hormones can often…surprise us."

Leia nodded. It seemed like a reasonable request. When she'd had Jaina, she hadn't been entirely sure she would want another one, even though she and Han had thought it was best to have more than one. Then, of course, she'd _seen_ Jaina, and _held_ her, and then Jaina had started walking, and Leia had wanted another one badly – so there was always a chance.

Though she was _quite_ certain she wasn't going to want more than three children.

With another jaunty look between them, Dr. Mellis nodded brightly and stood, smoothing down her scrubs. She gave them both a nod, and set off to get the proper tools for a blood draw, leaving Han and Leia alone for a moment.

She turned her head to look at him, narrowing her eyes.

"What?" she asked promptly, sensing he'd held back.

"You _sure_ you don't want me to get cut?" He asked brazenly. "Seems like I should," he said gruffly.

Leia gave him a strange little grimace. She'd been struck oddly squeamish by the recovery stories she'd read about vasectomies.

"Don't give me that look," Han said dryly. "Can't hurt more than," he waved his hand at her.

"You don't get an epidural to get your through three weeks of bruised balls," Leia retorted ruefully.

Han rolled his eyes.

"I think I can take it, Sweetheart."

"Han, you're a supportive husband and you pull your weight as a father," Leia said firmly. "You don't 'owe' me half a month of icepacks on your groin."

He arched a brow, and she pursed her lips.

"It's an act of control over my body," she added after a moment. "Any moment I can take to…have that, it's…very important to me," she explained softly. "_I _have the power to be a mother, _I_ take that power from myself," she said. "_Me_."

Han rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. He nodded.

"Okay," he said. "If that's how you think of it."

"It is."

"Okay," he said again, a grin touching his lips. He leaned forward to touch her cheek, pressing a kiss to her temple, and lingering there for a moment. "You hear that heartbeat, Sweetheart?" he asked huskily.

She bit her lip, her heart fluttering at the pride in his voice. Nothing about this being their third made him less fascinated, and she reveled in it. She nodded, rather taken with the familiar sound herself.

"You ready to do this all over again?" Han murmured.

And she nodded again; already, the memory of sobbing for an hour after discovering she was pregnant was fading, giving way to the anticipation and quiet love she'd felt so guilty for lacking.

* * *

There was no real purpose to trying to have a serious conversation with an almost-four-year-old and an infant. Not that Leia and Han were even trying to talk to Noura, she was just _there. _She was there as more of an example than anything, since Jaina's understanding of new baby was directly attached to Noura's arrival in her life, so Leia felt that would make it easy to reinforce what they were telling her. Again. She had no idea how Jaina was going to react. Noura, at least, was too young to comprehend any new addition at all, much less react to it beyond her sometimes fussy Force sensitivity, but Jaina was often a firecracker on her best days, so Leia had told Han to prepare for a range of possible reactions, from indifference to outright resistance.

Had things been like last time - less hectic - Leia probably wouldn't have bothered to tell Jaina so immediately. They had certainly taken their time letting her into the know about Noura, and the whole experience had been its own adventure, too, since they were introducing a new pregnancy and then a new baby for the first time. Now there was an element of 'been there, done that, let's get this over with' - and besides, Leia did have a strong feeling that they were likely to meet resistance rather than indifference and she wanted Jaina to have plenty of time to adjust. Or rather, to get over it.

She also felt she could start doing some work to get Jaina to exercise some awareness of her Force sensitivity, and manage her reactions just a little better. It was a slim hope, at Jaina's age, but at the same time, if she knew why she was sometimes extra sensitive, and her nerves were going haywire, maybe she wouldn't always get so dramatic and theatrical. Letting her know early about the new baby seemed the best way to combat that. Luke had developed a theory that Force sensitive children likely went through periods bursting with new sensation and leaps in strength, much like every baby went through intense physical and mental developmental periods. He suggested Jaina was in the midst of one of those.

And as for Noura...Noura was easy, for the most part. Nothing could be explained to her, so nothing would be. She was a happy, calm baby, still a better sleeper than Jaina even on her bad nights, and despite him having been absent for the first six weeks of her life, she seemed happiest when Han was holding her. Sometimes all he had to do was rest a hand on her stomach to calm her down. With Jaina, Leia might have been jealous of such a bond, but at this point, as long as the crying stopped, she didn't care if Noura imprinted on a Jawa.

As it were, they were all gathered in Jaina's room, Leia up in the window seat with their oldest, and Han on the floor with Noura. He was supposed to be helping her tell Jaina about this, but he was preoccupied playing with the baby. He was stretched out on his front, with Noura on a blanket in front of him, and he was either trying to make her laugh - or mocking her, because he kept dangling a teething ring at her and then tucking it away in his fist.

"Han," Leia said, glaring at him. She ran her hand over Jaina's tightly woven hair.

He looked up, pausing. Noura kicked him in the chest, and giggled.

"What?" he asked. "'M teachin' her object permanence," he retorted.

"She's too young - "

"No, look," Han said, hiding the teething ring. Noura waved her hand at it, clasping and unclasping her fingers. She made what could be construed as a frustrated noise. "She gets it. Smart," he said smugly, bending to kiss her nose. "Smart, smart, smart," he repeated, grinning.

Jaina gave him a grumpy look.

"Daddy," she sulked. "I am smart."

"I didn't say you weren't," Han said calmly, arching a brow at her. "You smart enough to teach Noura how to use a spoon?" he asked.

Jaina nodded vigorously.

"Good," Han said, feigning a very serious look. "Me too? Think I forgot how."

Jaina giggled. She tucked her arms against her stomach and wriggled her feet, watching him play with Noura. Leia gave him another pointed look, and Han pushed himself up, lifting the baby and holding her against his shoulder while he readjusted. He sat, facing Leia and Jaina, and crossed his legs, turning Noura and lowering her to sit in the little triangle of space he created. Noura put her hand in her mouth and peered sagely up at Leia, unblinking. She wobbled, and then tilted back against Han's abdomen, and leaned there contently.

"She sits up, too," Han pointed out.

Leia rolled her eyes. It wasn't that she was not impressed with Noura's milestones - some which were, admittedly, much faster than Jaina's - but Han was quick to loosely define his children's accomplishments. He had taken to telling people - people meaning _anyone who would listen_ \- that Noura had started talking already. It didn't matter how many times Leia told him that babbling 'mama' and 'dada' hardly counted. Noura was more vocal with her sounds - Jaina had been vocal mostly only when she was angry - but Leia was still slightly amused at Han's behavior. Why he was being such a sucker this time around, she had yet to figure out.

"Da," Noura mumbled, as if to support Han. "Dadaddddadada."

Han gave Leia a smug, pointed look.

"Luck," Leia said crisply.

"His name is Daddy," Jaina said primly. She scrunched her nose. "Nor _dumb_."

Leia narrowed her eyes.

"Jaina," she said sharply.

Jaina wilted a little. She had learned the word 'dumb' somewhere - and was having an extremely good time repeating it as often as possible while Leia tried to reinforce that it was not a nice word. Usually, stern tones from Leia worked sufficiently well when it came to cowing Jaina. _Usually. _

Jaina fidgeted. She stuck her tongue in her mouth, and Leia gently pulled it out, folding her hand around it. Jaina had been on the verge of kicking the thumb-sucking habit, until she saw Noura putting her hands in her mouth constantly. She immediately realized her parents weren't snatching Noura's hands out of her mouth, and now was stubbornly back to pushing the limits. Leia wasn't sure she cared to fight that battle too much, not right now, but removing Jaina's thumb was almost instinct, particularly since every time she did it, she heard echoes of Rouge shrieking that Jaina's teeth would be ruined.

"You be nice to Noura," Han said gently, giving Jaina a stern look. He smoothed his palm over Noura's dark hair, nodding. "You're her big sister. That means taking care of her," he told her. "Like a big girl. You're a big girl, right?"

Jaina brightened.

"Yes," she agreed. "Big," she said, and held up her arm, pretending to flex it. "Strong."

"You like being a big sister?" Leia asked, leaning forward.

Jaina tilted her head thoughtfully. She shrugged.

"Nor cry too much," she said. Her brows knit. "Zozy like Nor better," she added moodily.

"No, he doesn't," Han said, laughing. "Jainy, Zozy used to sleep near your crib when you were a baby, too," he told her. "He sleeps by whoever he thinks needs the most protection."

"Need protect," Jaina sulked. "I do."

Leia kissed the top of her head.

"Daddy and I want to tell you something, Jaina," she said, "and we want you to be a big girl about it."

She wanted to wince at herself, going on and on about what a big girl Jaina was. It sounded patronizing. But, Jaina was very susceptible to being called mature, so whatever worked...was what they used.

Jaina tapped her chin suspiciously. Noura slipped sideways in Han's lap, and draped herself over his knee. She made a few curious, squeaking noises. Han laughed at her. Leia shook her head at him, touching Jaina's knee.

"You know how you keep telling me I feel weird to you?" Leia murmured. "You keep saying Mommy feels different?"

Jaina nodded, her chin jutting out.

"It's really special you can sense that," Leia complimented. "Do you think you can tell me _how_ I feel different?" she asked, coaxing Jaina close to her. She pulled the three-year-old into her lap, settling her between her knees and eyeing her intently. Jaina hesitated, and then shrugged. She shook her head, demurring. Leia took Jaina's hand and pressed it low on her abdomen.

Jaina frowned, and tried to pull her hand back, but Leia left it there.

"You not like touch there," she whined.

Leia beamed at her, surprised, and Han looked up, eyebrows raised with interest. It seemed Jaina remembered Leia reacting with some hostility when anyone wanted to touch her abdomen during her pregnancy with Noura. It was an impressive thing to have remembered.

"It's okay if I let you," Leia promised softly. "I'm going to show you something. Is it okay if I feel you?" she asked.

Jaina nodded - she was plenty old enough to marginally understand that Leia was able to connect to her very deeply thanks to how closely to Force bonded them. As her understanding grew, so did Leia's determination to make sure she only invaded Jaina's space, even if it was intangible space, with permission - in so far as was reasonable. If there were outright danger, and emergency, or Jaina needed to be stopped from hurting herself, Leia intervened. But she never guided Jaina's thoughts or messed with her powers unless she asked. They called it _feeling. _

Leia concentrated on touching the threads of Jaina's nascent sensitivity. There was no way to describe what this was like, she'd tried telling Han once, to no avail - and even Luke couldn't quite understand. He knew the Force, but he didn't have children, and this was a particularly special connection. Leia could almost define a core of power in Jaina - in Noura, too - and find threads of it, and which threads tied Jaina to certain people, or feelings. If Luke weren't the saint he was, Leia was sure he'd want to study her in a lab - the Emperor, or Vader, certainly would have wanted to.

She tugged on a sense of family and love inside Jaina, and drew it forward, tying it with her own awareness of the new baby, and she caught Jaina's eye, willing her to understand almost the same way she'd helped bond Jaina to Han the moment she was born. She watched Jaina closely, simultaneously very aware of how alert Noura had become, and Han, looking around at all of them, clueless, but fascinated.

"Can you feel that?" Leia asked. "Maybe it feels a little like Noura did, when you would sing to her?" she prompted.

Jaina blinked.

"It is a baby," she said sternly. She drew her hand away from Leia's abdomen, and pointed at it instead. "Baby," she repeated. "In there." She turned her head to look at Han. "Look," she said. "Baby," she informed him.

"I know," Han said solemnly. "I put it there."

Leia gave him a withering look.

"_Han_," she admonished.

He grinned.

"You say things like that, you get saddled with the sex talk," Leia hissed under her breath - and Han sobered up immediately.

Jaina was wringing her hands. She furrowed her brow, her lips trembling. She pointed at Noura.

"But she is there," she said worriedly, eyeing Leia in a panic.

"It's a new one," Leia soothed. "A new baby. It," she paused, faltering. "It," she paused again, but then went on; she wasn't sure she was reading the feeling right, and didn't want to say _him_ without certainty; she had no idea how Han would react either way. "It will be younger than Noura," she explained. "Another baby for you to be a big sister to."

Jaina flopped back. She tossed her head from side to side, glaring.

"No, I don't want," she said flatly. "No."

Leia sighed, biting back a small grimace. It looked like it would definitely be fireworks and resistance.

"Hey, Jainy," Han began in a bright, calm voice. "It's gonna be fun," he promised. "You and I can - "

"No," moaned Jaina. She slid out of the window seat and threw herself onto the floor. "No, no. _No _more," she insisted, her voice growing louder. She lifted her head, glared at Leia, and burst into tears.

Leia sighed. She did feel some sympathy for Jaina - it was so much change. Noura had been a big change, and then right on top of that, there would be _another_ one, and that was quite a lot to ask of a toddler. Noura didn't know her head from her toes, so that was a much easier battle to fight - and Leia knew Jaina was already struggling with a sense of loss, sharing her parents' attention with a needy infant. She wanted to be sensitive to Jaina's fears and reluctance without pandering to it.

"I don't want, I don't want," Jaina insisted. "No more baby. I don't want to be a big girl," she wailed.

Leia smiled ruefully. To be fair, she'd reacted almost exactly like Jaina was, at first, and she thought about making that joke - _Mommy doesn't want to be a big girl, either, honey, but that's life. _Jaina was too young to be mocked like that, though. It might confuse her or scare her, or just hurt her feelings.

"Jaina," Leia began gently.

Jaina leapt up, and gave an ear-splitting _shriek_. The noise wiped the calm, understanding look off Leia's face immediately. Jaina had been told, time and time again, not to make that sound unless she was in serious, immediate danger. It was a hair-raising, panicked, anguished noise, and the first time Leia had ever heard her do it - when she'd decided Han was abusing her by tying her shoes too tight - Leia had nearly gone into cardiac arrest.

"Jaina Yvaine Solo," Leia snapped. "_What_ have I told you about screaming like that? You have got to stop reacting to trivial events as if - "

Jaina was making noise over her, trying to drown her out, and Han winced, narrowing his eyes.

"She ain't listenin'," he warned.

"Thank you for that enlightening assessment," Leia said acridly.

She got up, and took Jaina's arm. Jaina ripped it loose and tossed herself back to the floor, kicking her legs - full-blown tantrum. Leia's eyes widened, and she felt her blood pressure skyrocket. She took a deep breath to keep herself from shouting at Jaina, and instead turned to check on Noura. The baby was staring at her sister with wide-eyed fascination and, as Leia expected, her face began to crumple.

"She's overwhelming Noura," Leia said tensely. "Can you - ?"

"Yeah," Han said hastily, already standing up. He tucked Noura against his shoulder, resting a palm lightly over one of her ears to make it quieter for her, and hesitated to leave. "She's okay, though, I can stay and - "

Noura stared to whimper, and Leia sighed, and shook her head.

"No, just take her out. There's a bottle in the icebox," she told him. "Go, Han. It's okay."

Han looked down at Jaina.

"Jaina," he called. "Jaina," he said sharply. "_Jaina!"_

She ignored him, and Han tightened his jaw. Leia put her hands on her hips and shook her head. She grit her teeth, and crouched down to take Jaina's shoulders.

"Jaina, look at me," she tried calmly.

Jaina wrenched away and lashed out with knees and elbows, struggling. Han lurched back into the doorway, wary of leaving, watching them struggle. He wasn't worried about Leia losing her cool with Jaina, but if Jaina -

"_Hey_," snapped Han, his voice bursting through the room loudly. Startled herself, Leia turned abruptly - she didn't think she'd _ever _heard Han yell at Jaina. It cut through Jaina's screeching, and she looked up, her eyes wide, her face red and blotchy. "Don't kick your mother," Han said icily, his eyes brooking no argument. "No kicking, no hitting."

He'd seen that foot go flying at Leia's stomach and his blood had run cold. He was pretty sure Leia had intercepted it but - still. Jaina blinked, then rolled over, putting her back to Han and Leia, and continued to sob, ignoring them both. Han waited a moment, to make sure the thrashing was over, and then he stepped away coolly.

Leia swallowed hard, and went to her knees, pressing her hand to the back of Jaina's head.

"Jaina, I know changes are scary," she said, trying to speak calmly, and loudly enough to be heard. "I know you're feeling a lot. Daddy and I wanted to tell you this early so I can help you handle all the extra senses you have to deal with. I know - "

"NO!" sobbed Jaina. "Leave-me-ALONE! _Go away_! NO BABY!" she screamed.

Leia paused. She stroked Jaina's hair, and Jaina rolled away, actually _rolled away_, as if she were a smashball or - well, more like a thermal detonator. She rolled until she hit the post of her bed, and then inched under it, stubbornly taking up residence there. It took all of Leia's self control not to let her mouth fall open, and she couldn't figure out if she was pissed off, amused, resigned - or all three. Her oldest daughter peered at her from under the bed like a feral kath hound, and she knelt on the floor, staring back sternly.

"This is not an appropriate way to deal with your feelings," Leia said.

"Go awaaaaaaaaa_aaaaay_," howled Jaina.

Leia frowned at her.

"If you think I won't come under there," she threatened, "and drag you out - "

"NO TOUCH WITHOUT ASK," Jaina argued.

Leia bit the inside of her cheek. For one brief, very brief second, she cursed herself for teaching Jaina that value so aggressively - but she'd rather Jaina take it to heart then not, and so she sighed. She considered her options, and then Jaina burst into a fresh round of tears, glaring, and yelled:

"Let me cry! LET ME CRY!"

Leia's brows went up a little, and she hesitated. She did not, _did not_ want to encourage this kind of nuclear tantrum-throwing - Jaina absolutely had to learn to handle things better. Then again, she was still only three, she was inundated with change and ultra-sensitive nerves right now, and Leia was...Leia was tired, and the noise was starting to make her feel nauseous. It might be worth it to walk away from this hill instead of deciding to die on it. She could try to have a better conversation with Jaina about ways to cope and feel better...when she was calmer.

She didn't want to indulge her, but she didn't want to punish her for trying to feel, and let it out, either.

Finally, she sighed.

"You want to cry and scream?" she asked.

Jaina buried her face in the carpet and answered with a yelp.

"Okay, I am going to leave you here in your room, and you can cry and scream," Leia said firmly. She got up, rubbing her lower back gingerly. "I am going to shut the door, Jaina, and you are not to come out until you are done behaving like a banshee, is that understood?"

Jaina made unintelligible, outraged noises. Leia narrowed her eyes at her, heading for the door. She paused with it in her hand, preparing to firmly shut Jaina in, and she sighed, watching the little girl glare at her from her makeshift cavern. She considered her for a moment, and then shrugged - Jaina had her feelings, certainly, but even for her age, these dramatics were a little unreasonable. And Leia wasn't bothered too much by leaving her alone until she decided to stop acting a fool. Han would probably get offended about it.

Han was a pushover. He'd get over it.

Leia shut the door snugly, rubbed her forehead, and turned to go find him. As she walked away, she heard some shuffling, and Jaina got louder. Shaking her head incredulously as she realized Jaina must have scrambled out from under the bed to stand right at the door and scream, she went down the stairs. She had to ask her father if she'd ever - _ever_ \- acted like that. If he said no, she was fully willing to blame this all on Han's genetics.

Han was seated on the couch, lazily giving Noura a bottle. He had it tucked under his arm, snug up almost under his armpit, and Leia cocked her head at him, wondering why he wasn't just holding it. He turned at the sound of her footsteps, and pointed.

"It's more like it's you, if I hold it like this," he said smugly. "I'm tricking her. So she won't get confused."

Leia arched one brow skeptically, and decided to make fun of him later. Currently, the sight of calm, not-screaming Noura snuggled in Han's arms was soothing her mood. She sighed heavily and went to sit in an armchair, watching him feed her. He looked up at the ceiling, obviously still able to hear Jaina's one-girl symphony of misery.

"Stalemate?" he asked.

Leia shrugged.

"She's possessed," she joked. "I'm in denial that my daughter could act like that."

"I dunno, she kind of sounds like you when I was trying to save your life on Echo Base."

Leia smiled at him sweetly.

"Why don't you let me feed Noura?" she asked.

Han hunched his shoulders suspiciously, cradling her closer.

"No, she's my shield. You'll pinch me."

Leia smirked. She leaned back, and Han shrugged, tilting his ear towards the ceiling for a moment.

"Well, she'll either calm down or scream herself mute," he said dryly.

"Ignore her, Han," Leia instructed.

She sniffed, but dampened her connection to Jaina all the same, leaving it just strong enough to sense if she needed basic care. She was getting a bit of a headache from the noise, and the worse her head started to hurt, the more nauseous she'd feel. She hadn't had any vomiting episodes with this baby so far, and she would love to keep it that way.

"Do you think she's just jealous?" Han ventured, checking to make sure Noura was still drinking.

"Will you just hold the damn bottle?" Leia snapped. "I'm afraid she's going to choke."

He gave her a look at her tone, but did as she asked, and Leia deflated a little. She sighed.

"Jealous, scared," she murmured. "She'll come around."

Han nodded.

"'Course she will," he agreed.

Both of them ignored the angry thud, followed by more crying, that came from upstairs. Leia ran her hand gingerly over her abdomen, probing gently with her fingertips, and tilted her head.

"Han? It's a boy," she offered quietly. After a few moments of silent reflection, she was sure. And she was sure the baby had actually told _Jaina_; she'd only been able to sense it because they were so connected at the time. It was unlikely Jaina had known it for what it was.

Han's head snapped around, and he gave her a surprised look.

"It is? A boy?" he asked, his voice pitching excitedly. He swallowed hastily, composing himself. "But what're we gonna name a boy?" he asked gruffly.

She arched her brows, amused.

"It isn't as if we had a girl's name picked out," she pointed out.

Han nodded. It seemed like girls' names were easier, though. Leia had a lot of female relatives and female friends who meant a lot to her. Not so much, when it came to men...and Han really didn't want a kid named after himself. Or Bail. But that had more to do with the name _Bail_ than Bail himself.

"We don't know what to do with a boy," Han mused.

"I really think we can handle anything," Leia said dryly, gesturing to the ceiling.

Jaina's hysterics continued.

"Gotta admire her stamina," Han said.

"No, I do not."

Leia started to draw her feet up into the chair with her when their door chimes rang. She turned, startled, and looked towards the hall with consternation.

"Did you invite someone over?" she asked.

"Without telling you? Do I look like I have a death wish?" Han retorted.

Leia frowned. She got up, shrugging.

"It's probably Father," she said.

Few people dropped by unannounced, and Bail usually didn't, but he wasn't above such a thing, either. She heard Han get up behind her. He set the bottle - now empty - on the table, and walked over to the play pen they had set up in the living room. He placed Noura down inside if it. She was half asleep, and he didn't want to carry her around and keep her up. His arms needed a break, anyway. Curious, he followed Leia towards the door. She peered at the viewing mechanism, and nodded.

"Father," she said again, unlocking the systems.

Han folded his arms, stepping back to give them more room. Bail smiled pleasantly as soon as he saw them, inclining his head.

"Hello," he said. "I was on my way home from the theatre district," he said. He paused. "It's been three days since I've seen Jaina or Noura," he said solemnly.

Leia rolled her eyes indulgently and ushered him in, touching his shoulder warmly.

"Noura's on her way to sleep, but you can rock her," she said.

Several steps into their home, Bail paused, and incredulous look crossing his face.

"What is that sound?" he asked, appalled.

Han, well aware what he was referring to, decided it would be funniest to feign ignorance.

"What sound?" he asked, deadpan - in fact, he wasn't sure he was feigning ignorance. Jaina had been carrying on like that for a while now; he was just used to it. It was white noise.

"I think he means Jaina, dear," Leia said, playing along. "Come in, Father," she added, turning and leading him towards the sitting room.

He followed, his eyes wide with alarm as he glanced between them, staring into their backs. He was very concerned with their apparent _lack_ of concern.

"We're ignoring her," Han said, quoting Leia.

"Why?" asked Bail, exasperated. He stopped at the entrance to the living room. He folded his arms, disgruntled. "And what in the galaxy is wrong...?"

Leia sighed. She walked over to the play pen, checked on Noura, and turned, placing a hand on her hip. With the other, she rubbed her forehead, and glanced at Han. They hadn't discussed who to tell, when, and how, at least not beyond deciding to tell Jaina. She usually waited longer to announce anyway, even to her family, just out of personal preference. She liked to enjoy the knowledge alone with Han for a while. For some reason, though, she didn't want to wait with this one, and perhaps it was because she knew she'd need all the support she could get.

Han gave a small shrug, as if he was reading her mind, and folded his arms. Leia lowered her hand from her forehead, and looked up at her father.

"We told her about the baby," she said.

Bail's brows knit in confusion.

"But Noura is four months old," he started, exasperated.

"Five," Leia said quickly. "Almost six," she added - she was very _precise_ about that now, annoyed at herself as she was for getting pregnant again so quickly.

Bail went on: "Regardless, she must be used to her now."

Leia gave a slight shake of her head, pursing her lips.

"Not that baby," she said dryly, pointing to her abdomen.

Bail blinked at her. He squinted at the place she was pointing, and then comprehension dawned on his face.

_"What?"_

That was all he said, before staring in silence, and they could all hear Jaina morosely banging around upstairs. After a moment, breaking the ice, Han looked up and said.

"If she doesn't cool it, I'm going up there."

"Oh, to do what?" Leia snorted. "Get your ass kicked?"

Han glared at her. He crossed the room and picked Noura up, carrying her over to his shell-shocked father-in-law. He gently shoved Noura into his arms.

"Here," he said seriously. "This will remind you to be excited," he assured him. "Look how cute she is."

Bail looked down at Noura obediently, and after a moment, he tucked her safely against his shoulder, rubbing her back, and went back to staring between Han and Leia with wide eyes.

"You mean you're...a baby? A baby that's...not Noura?"

Leia nodded. Bail continued to work through that for a moment, and then rounded on Han.

"Did you even say hello when you got back? Or did you just walk in the door and climb on top of her?" he demanded, glaring.

Leia turned scarlet.

"_Father_!" she gasped, voice pitching in shock.

"Bail," Han said, "don't ever say somethin' like that again," he retorted, and then opened his mouth to continue, smirking roguishly - but Leia knew him too well. The looked she turned on him was so stony, and so threatening, that he snapped his mouth shut again immediately, swallowing any comments he was about to make about who was on top.

Leia shook her head, resuming her seat in the armchair.

"Sit down," she told Bail pointedly.

Jaina seemed a little quieter. Bail obeyed. Han stepped up to him and held his hands out.

"Let me put her to bed," he said, and Bail relinquished Noura after giving her a kiss on the forehead.

Han gave Leia a wink, and disappeared upstairs. Leia was willing to bet that he'd stop by Jaina's room before he came back down, whether he'd been told to ignore her or not. When he was gone, Leia looked at her father passively, her lips compressed. He raised his eyebrows, eyes concerned, and she lifted her shoulders.

"In Jaina's defense, I reacted much the same," she quipped.

"Are you alright?" Bail asked. "I take it - this wasn't planned?"

Leia sighed.

"No, not exactly," she said. "Han and I did want three children," she said. "Though not...well, Tatooine twins aren't much better than actual twins."

She licked her lips.

"I won't go into details, but don't go after Han like that," she requested. "It takes two. Han and I have a good marriage. It just happened, and frankly," she said shortly, "it was more me than him," Bail heard her mutter something about antibiotics. "He's already anxious about me, so leave him alone."

Bail nodded.

"As he should be," he said earnestly. "Isn't it risky to - "

"I am fine," Leia said firmly. She didn't go any further down that path; it was maddening enough attending to Han's nerves about it,

Bail swallowed hard, and nodded again.

"What will you need help with in terms of work?" he asked. "How far along are you? Rouge can move faster in vetting a second caretaker," he began, words coming out quickly, and Leia just shook her head calmly.

"Dad, I already went through all the panic and frenzied planning. I've reached acceptance and contentment, okay?" she said. "There is time to figure the logistics out," she soothed, and then went on: "I'm fourteen weeks. It's a boy."

"Fourteen...boy?" Bail's brows went up. He smiled. "A boy," he repeated. He laughed. "Well, you know how Rouge will feel," he joked.

Leia smiled fondly. Rouge, Rouge...Alderaanian to the core. Bail leaned back, running his hand over his jaw. He shook his head.

"I hardly expected...this, when I decided to drop by," he snorted. He looked back at her. "You know you'll have as much help as you need from me," he said. "As much as you had when Han was deployed, and more."

Leia nodded.

"Thank you," she said gratefully.

Bail beamed at her, and then he got up, and walked over. He bent to kiss her on the forehead, and squeezed her shoulder.

"I'm happy for you, Leia," he said softly. "It's always so good to see you happy."

She smiled again, compressing her lips. They heard a thump from upstairs, and the sounds of Jaina's tantrum stopped. Leia sighed, and peered at her father.

"Did I _ever_ act like that?" she asked skeptically.

To her surprise, her father gave her an incredulous look.

"For your mother? No. For me?_Yes_," he said emphatically. "Once you threatened to throw yourself down the palace staircase if I didn't immediately fetch you breakfast, but you were too scared - obviously - to actually do such a ridiculous thing, so you scooted down them one by one, crying, until you reached the last two, and _then_ you tumbled yourself to my feet. Breha refused to even believe the story."

Leia stared at him, eyes wide. She wanted to refuse to believe it - but considering Jaina's behavior, well...she shook her head.

"I think I owe you an apology," she said faintly.

Her father only smiled.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "You were worth every moment, good and bad."

Leia's lips turned up. She touched her abdomen gently, able to relate to that statement so well. No matter what Jaina did - or what Noura would do, or what this baby would do, she'd never regret them, and she'd never regret her motherhood. She leaned back, relaxed, and smiled. Han reappeared, bounding down the stairs, scratching his head.

"Leia," he said, either amused, or irritated - or both. "Jaina is hiding _under_ her bed - she's - she looks like a - she won't come out!"

At the look on his face, Leia burst out laughing, embracing the chaos for what it was worth: memories, and embarrassing stories to tell when Jaina was older.

* * *

_\- alexandra_


	3. Chapter 3

a/n: got a long chapter full of some laughs here!

* * *

**_13 ABY_**  
**_Coruscant_**

* * *

Sometimes, Leia was still in awe of the fact that she was able to experience motherhood with her best friend at her side. In awe of it, and giddy over it. Winter's reappearance in her life was every bit the miracle her father, and Rouge's, reappearances had been, and it became no less incredible with each passing day. Something as simple as swapping sleep training techniques, or stories of amusing things the children had done, had the power to bring tears to Leia's eyes solely because she was so grateful this precious bond had been given back to her - and she was more likely to be constantly prone tears when she was already hormonal.

At the present moment, watching Jaina play nicely - _nicely_! with both Noura _and_ Marisol was enough to put her on the verge.

"_Is_ she walking yet?" Leia asked, unable to remember if Marisol had been, the last time she spoke with Winter. They were certainly on walk-watch, but whether or not it had happened in the true sense was up in the air.

Winter's daughter, all wispy blonde hair and clear blue eyes, sat opposite Noura, occasionally rolling blocks towards her, even though all Noura did was pick them up and put them in her mouth. Every once in a while, she chucked one at Jaina or Winter, and laughed smugly.

"Well, sort of," Winter said, lifting her chin. "She walks really well if Tycho or I are holding her, but she only takes two or three steps by herself. She actually ran a little, the other day, but I think it was an accident, and when she realized Tycho wasn't holding her, she sat down and started crying."

Leia grinned. Marisol Celchu was about half a year older than Noura, and she'd just reached her first birthday. She was a sunny, affectionate little girl who had all at once grown out of the colicky, fussy nights she'd thrown at her parents for the first eight months of her life. Winter often remarked that her demon baby had simply been replaced one morning by an angel. And Winter was not complaining.

"She is _very_ good at crawling," Winter said proudly. "I would be perfectly content if she stuck with that for a while."

"Jaina just kind of went from sitting and doing nothing to running," Leia said. "She fell down a lot but it never seemed to bother her. She fell head first into the kaf table once and didn't cry. I think Han did, though," she added thoughtfully.

"Doesn't surprise me," Winter snorted. "Tycho is a nervous wreck all the time, about her. I honestly don't think a day has gone by, since she was born, when someone in this flat wasn't crying - if not all three of us."

"The glory of parenthood," Leia snorted.

"Is it more glorious with two?" Winter asked wryly.

"Well, I have the benefit of knowing what I'm doing," Leia said frankly. "It's harder in a lot of ways, but a lot less stress in terms of...confidence in myself," she said, shrugging. "For example, I used to panic if Jaina wouldn't eat, but now if Noura won't eat I'm just mad because my breasts hurt."

"I don't envy you there," Winter said dryly. "Mar has seen more of _your_ breasts than mine," she joked.

Winter hadn't taken to breastfeeding. She'd had trouble getting it to work comfortably for her and she'd hated it for her own reasons, anyway, but she'd had no problem with Leia feeding Marisol occasionally, which Leia did the few times she came over to help Tycho or talk Winter off a cliff.

On the floor, Marisol leaned forward and patted her palm against Noura's forehead. Noura, cocooned in a half-moon shaped pillow that aided her in sitting up, nearly crossed her eyes staring at the touch, and Jaina pushed Marisol's hand away.

"No, Mar," she said kindly. "You not can touch without ask!"

Winter laughed.

"She _really_ got that down, didn't she? I mean, took it _straight_ to heart!"

Leia nodded earnestly.

"And I'm very happy she has," she said. "Han is too, we just wonder why she can't take other, simpler things to heart. Like why it's not appropriate to bite in protest."

"Pasha always says you were a biter," Winter said smugly.

"He does like saying that," Leia muttered. "But he lets Jaina get away with anything she wants," she grumbled.

Winter sighed.

"He's smitten with Marisol, too," she said, shrugging. "I guess it's all fun when you're the grandparent."

"Even Rouge is indulgent beyond belief," Leia added, arching a brow, "though I'm sure Marisol and both of my girls are in for all kinds of absurd messaging when she gets her hands on their teenage selves."

"Mama," Jaina said, looking at her, and then Winter, seriously. "I have to do doctor on Mar-sol," she said.

"Okay," Leia agreed solemnly. "Don't hurt her."

Jaina dragged Marisol down to the floor and began to mimic some sort of medical procedure on her, which really was just a lot of tickling, that turned into hair-braiding, which was really hair-knotting. Leia sat forward warily, reaching out to intervene.

"Jaina," she started.

"Oh, let them play," Winter placated, waving her hand.

"She's just sitting there knotting her hair," Leia protested, wincing as Jaina mimicked braids by jamming strands of Marisol's thin hair together and pulling. Marisol did not seem to mind; she sat half in Jaina's lap smiling happily, apparently pleased at what she saw as affection.

Winter shrugged.

"Tycho can comb it out later, he likes brushing her hair," she noted. "He's all excited to do the traditional styles on her as she gets older," Winter paused, narrowing her eyes. "He's already talking buns," she said. "As a matter of fact, Tycho is becoming more and more traditional. Not conservative," she said, snorting as if that would be a nightmare, "but...very Alderaan conscious."

Winter pursed her lips.

"Which is good. We try to speak only Alderaanian to her, and you know Pasha and Rouge do."

Leia nodded; they pretty much did the same with Jaina and Noura, though if Han was around they spoke Basic out of respect for him. He said he didn't care if they spoke their native language - he picked it up pretty well, anyway, at this point - but Bail was overly cautious about Han thinking he was being excluded from his children's life experiences.

"I just don't know if I want her to have her...purity...all tangled up in her hair," Winter confided slowly. "I haven't decided if I want her to wear the bun style," pausing, she turned to Leia, and tilted her head curiously. "What do you think you'll do, with Jaina and Noura?"

Leia shrugged.

"Right now I'm focusing on getting them to that age, safely, without Jaina yanking all of Noura's hair out in the first place," she joked. She thought about it for a moment. "I want them to learn the traditions and customs from Rouge but I want them presented as a choice, not a mandate."

Leia arched a brow.

"Besides, none of it matters. You followed hair tradition and slept with half the palace staff. I didn't follow hair tradition, and married the only man I've slept with."

There was no judgment or animosity in Leia's voice, just a wry tease, and Winter pretended to look offended.

"It was one _third_ of the palace, Your Highness, a good many of my exploits were off-planet," she retorted, smirking. "But I still think it matters in some ways, not for purposes of policing their sexual behavior but, well...I don't know," Winter sighed. "Maybe I'm getting more traditional, too. It...might bother me if she doesn't want to wear the buns."

"I don't think that's a bad thing, Winter," Leia said. "We miss home. We don't want to lose it. And it will be hard to keep it alive for our children," she said. "I mean..they were born into a galaxy where Alderaan quite simply does not exist and that is...something we can't fathom."

Winter nodded, leaning back in her armchair, watching the girls play.

"You're right," she said softly. "I can't fathom that. I can't fathom...that she'll never see the mountains in Aldera, or take a scavenging trip to the old Killik groves," she shook her head. "Do you ever feel this deep sense of sadness when you look at Noura and Jaina? And think about what they'll never know? No matter how much you teach them, they'll never _know._"

Leia licked her lips. She nodded, and bowed her head slightly. She reached up and wiped her eyes, and Winter did the same, bursting into a rueful smile.

"Sorry," she said. "The hormones doesn't go away."

"No, they don't," Leia agreed, with a husky laugh.

"Well, anyway," Winter said, plowing on. "I was going to say I'm envious that Jaina is so militant about who touches her and giving permission," she said. "Marisol is so, _so_ affectionate," she sighed. "She has no fear of strangers and snuggles up to anyone who holds her. It's nice that I can leave her with anyone without her having an anxiety attack, but it worries me."

Leia looked at the toddler, tilting her head. Marisol was still patiently allowing Jaina to manhandle her.

"She's really little, Winter, I don't think you should worry about it right now," Leia offered.

Winter sighed again.

"I know," she murmured. "I just have all these anxieties, you know, her getting older, thinking _anyone_ who is as affectionate and trusting as her is a good person, wondering if she'll be too kind, too easily...groomed."

Leia rested her cheek on her palm, watching the girls.

"It's a real fear. It'll always be there," she murmured, suppressing a shiver. "The worst thing about it is that it can happen to anyone," she said. "Don't try to harden Marisol's kindness just out of...fear. Jaina's aggressive and loud and speaks her mind even at her age, but if someone who knew how she ticked got into her head, who knows," she said bitterly. "Sometimes all we can do is...talk to them. Make sure they can always come to us."

Winter nodded in agreement.

"Han would absolutely murder anyone who twitched a funny look at either of them," Leia added bluntly. "He'd do it without batting an eyelid. I'm not saying I wouldn't," Leia added, lifting her brows, "but Han is even quicker than I am to call in a legal injunction when an unauthorized Holo of Jaina crops up."

"Speaking of the Media," Winter said, snapping her fingers and smirking. "I noticed yesterday that _IconWatch_ 'Zine has announced they have figured out the name of your second baby."

"Really?" Leia asked, wide-eyed. "What is it?"

"Breha Amidala Padme."

Leia nearly choked on laughter.

"Hedging their bets," she snorted. "Well, to be fair, that's the closest guess yet," she noted smugly.

She and Han had made no announcements to the press about her pregnancy with Noura or Noura's day of birth, name - anything. With Jaina, they had released perfunctory statement, because Jaina was, in many ways, a bridge between the old ways of the Organa aristocracy, and the nuanced way Leia was going forwarding raising her children. Jaina had an Alderaanian christening that was semi-publicized, in that photos had been released, and Rouge and Bail had conducted a charity auction in her honor, which was somewhat of a tradition on Alderaan when a member of the royal family had a baby. It was not so with Noura, and would not be so with her son.

"True," Winter snorted. "Remember when that Chandrilan media outlet _confidently_ announced that Noura's name was Mazicia Sky?"

Leia laughed. Mazicia had been her grandmother's name, on Bail's side. She'd never met the woman, but she was apparently as close as Alderaan got to unpleasant rulers.

"When Han found out it was Father's mother's name, he spent a week telling him his mother wanted to speak with him whenever Noura cried."

"No one mocks Pasha better than Han," Winter said smugly.

She looked down to watch the children play for a moment, and then lifted her chin and peered back at Leia narrowly.

"And speaking of not the Media, but of a gossip mill closer to home," she said pointedly. "Pasha made some comment the other day about you being pregnant," she said, sniffing. "And then he seemed startled I had no idea what he was talking about, and then he backtracked and said he was kidding."

"He said he was _joking_?" Leia asked, amused.

She pursed her lips, and shifted her chin, scrunching her nose at Winter lightly. She licked her lips.

"I am pregnant," she confirmed. "I'm sure Father thought I'd told you, since I didn't delay telling him," she said, shrugging.

"Told me what?"

"That I'm pregnant."

"It's _not_ a joke?" Winter asked, incredulous. "But - "

"Honestly, if I had done this on purpose, I would be _immensely_ offended at the reactions I'm getting," Leia snorted.

Winter blinked at her, wide-eyed.

"Well, surely you expected this from me," she said dryly. "You know I loathed pregnancy."

Leia smiled faintly, and Winter shook her head.

"So," she began.

"I'm about fifteen weeks," Leia murmured. "_No,_ it was not on purpose, _yes_, Han and I are overwhelmed, but the baby is healthy, and the bright side of them being right on top of each other is that we'll be done when we're done," she said. "With Noura it was like...sort of suddenly going back to square one."

Winter stared at her with parted lips, and then swallowed. She looked down at Marisol thoughtfully, and then back at Leia, closing her mouth, and pressing her hand to her stomach.

"More power to you," she said, supportive. "What are you going to do with work?" she asked curiously.

Leia licked her lips - that was somewhat still in flux, after all. She hadn't taken the same kind of leave with Noura that she'd taken with Jaina. She'd been absorbed with Jaina, she and Han both at home, she out of work for a very long time, though she had not taken the full year she was entitled to. She'd reserved it and put it in the bank. Despite Han being gone, she'd taken even less time with Noura, because frankly, she missed work when she was out. Her Vice Chief position actually gave her much better flexibility than her Ambassadorship had.

"Well, I'm back at the office full time, now," she said, gesturing at Noura. "I have been since she was three months old, since Han got back, really. With the leave I reserved from Jaina and her both I could technically take two years for him, if I need to," she said, gesturing at her abdomen, "but I just want to see how the pregnancy goes, and see how I feel," she said, shrugging. "So far he's been so easy. I don't even feel pregnant."

Winter looked at her enviously, and then tilted her head.

"Boy?" she asked.

Leia nodded.

"Does Rouge know?" Winter asked smugly.

"That I'm pregnant, or that it's a boy?"

"Either. Both."

"Pregnant, yes. Boy, no. Only Father and Han know that. And you," she added.

"Who else knows?" Winter asked.

"Chewie," Leia said, and added: "Dr. Mellis."

"Luke?"

"Well, he's still on Naboo," Leia said, shrugging. "I haven't reached out yet."

She was lethargic about telling people, this time around, in the same way that she didn't care if she told them 'too early' so to speak. The excitement over a third baby seemed like something she could share specifically with Han, and she didn't have the energy for big revelations or gatherings and announcements. She was more concerned with taking care of herself, and Noura, and Jaina, and she sort of approached revelations about the new baby with...laissez-faire amusement.

Winter leaned over and clasped Leia's hand.

"Congratulations, then," she said warmly.

Leia inclined her head in thanks, and Winter sat back, still thoughtful.

"Tycho and I have been thinking about adopting," she said. She frowned to herself wistfully. "It's really irritating, to me, that I hated pregnancy so much, and had such a difficult time adjusting," she admitted. Winter had suffered a bout of postpartum depression the likes of which Leia had nightmares about. She was grateful she'd had no such struggles herself, and frightened Winter had been struck by it without warning or reason, not that things like that had a reason. Leia had just assumed she herself was more at risk. "I always wanted a lot of children, but, well. I told you."

Leia nodded, remembering their conversation after Marisol was born, Winter's firm desire that she never needed to give birth again.

"Well, my opinion is the same," Leia said. "You don't have to give birth to your children to be their mother, or to prove your mettle as a woman."

"I tell myself that all the time, but I like to hear it from others, too," Winter said lightly. "Why does it have to be so inefficient? Childbirth."

Leia snorted.

"Organic population control?" she joked.

Winter grinned. She let out a laugh, suddenly.

"I can't _believe_ you're pregnant again. Were your stitches even gone before Han came knocking, or did he rip them loose with his - "

"Don't be vulgar, Winter, he unlaced them with his tongue, like a good husband," Leia broke in, deadpan.

Her stitches had long dissolved before she and Han resumed their intimacy, but it was a fair joke, and Leia might have been disappointed if Winter hadn't made it. Motherhood didn't _totally_ change a woman, after all.

"Three babies, three little Solos," Winter sighed, looking at the girls playing on the floor.

All three of them seemed oblivious to the attention of their mothers. Noura was nodding off sitting up, and Leia smiled at her, pressing her hand to her own abdomen thoughtfully.

"Have you thought of any names?" Winter asked, turning back to her.

Leia sighed. She let her head fall back, and cocked a brow.

"All we have so far is 'not Bail,'" she said dryly.

Winter snorted. She got up to sweep Noura out of her half moon pillow and settled her into her arms, giving her a cozier spot to fall asleep, and Leia watched with a smile, her gaze flickering from Winter and Noura, to Jaina and Marisol playing on the floor. Winter murmured some sly joke about catching up with Leia in the baby department, and Leia found herself grinning again, grinning, and feeling that humbled sense of awe, because the strength of her sisterhood with Winter had always been so vital a part of her emotional health, and their different journeys in the realm of motherhood had not only added depth, but helped them to avoid being swallowed in a cliche that stated when women became mothers, they were forever nothing more than that.

* * *

Leia was eager to see Luke again, and conveyed that eagerness in the tight hug she gave him immediately upon seeing him. He didn't even have time to welcome her over the threshold of his flat before she had flung her arms around his neck, and Luke gave Han a somewhat quizzical look regarding her effusiveness. Han just shrugged, and gave him one of his lopsided grins. When Leia finally released him, Han strolled into the flat behind her and immediately tousled Luke's hair roughly, smirking when Luke ducked away with a scowl.

"What?" Han snorted, as Luke shut the door. "Don't want all that power going to your head. Someone's gotta keep you humble, kid," he joked.

Luke had been off another one of his Jedi quests, along with Mara, who always accompanied him these days. He was newly returned to Coruscant, and Leia knew at least a bit of Han's obnoxious teasing was intended to convey how much he, too, had missed Luke. Han could be oddly reclusive about telling anyone save Leia that he had missed them. A remnant, she thought, from the days when he'd been careful not to care about anyone.

He preferred ceaseless mocking to show his love.

"Mara here?" Han asked.

"Of course," Luke said, waving them on in. "How are my nieces?" he asked immediately.

"Terrors," Han said brightly.

Leia glared at him.

"Well, Noura's not," he corrected in the same easy tone. "Jaina's four now, you know," he said.

Luke nodded. He'd missed the actual day, but he had a gift tucked away ready for her, and gifts from the Naberries, as well. He and Mara had spent the last leg of their trip in Theed, and the Naberries had just sent along their trinkets with him instead of transporting them to Han and Leia.

"So, she thinks four means of age, apparently," Han went on. "She thinks she inherited a crown or somethin'," he added, cutting his eyes at Leia in amusement. "Because _Rouge_," he said accusingly, "told her she was a _princess_."

Leia sighed, shaking her head, part exasperated, part fond.

"Rouge...means well," she said, with a soft groan. Luke arched his brows at her, and she folded her arms. "Technically she did tell Jaina she's _would_ have been a princess, or by tradition is a princess," she waved a hand. "I am not entirely sure how this came up, but Jaina has had it put into her head that...she's in charge."

Leia snorted.

"That's not new, though," Luke pointed out flippantly. "I mean, she's always been in charge of Han, at least," he said slyly.

Han glared at him, and Luke bore the glare steadily, happy to have gotten his own jab in. Like smoke, Mara appeared, shoving a glass of whiskey into Han's hand as she sipped her own. Han grinned, raising it to toast her appreciatively. They shared the same taste in absolute rotgut liquor, alcohol Leia had no interest in touching, and in another life, in another galaxy, Leia might have found herself jealous of the leggy, lithe, green-eyed redhead. Might have, if Mara wasn't so besotted with Luke it was almost incongruous to her entire ethos as a person, and might have, if Han wasn't so blind to other women that sometimes even Leia thought he was being ridiculous.

She'd had an argument with him - or rather, she had argued _at_ him, and Han had looked back at her in amused confusion - just the other day, after a charity event she made him attend, to which an actress from Stewjon wore a completely see-through sequined gown. _What do you mean, you didn't notice?_ Leia had snapped, _you could see her nipples! Both of them! The whole entire nipple! I could see wax rash between her legs, Han! _He'd just scratched his chin thoughtfully and asked who in the hell she was talking about, and Leia seethed at him for no reason other than her raging hormones, alternately weepy, because he was so good, and angry...because he was _so good._

"You could have brought them," Mara said in her usual unruffled, cool voice. "Luke missed them," she added, and the way her eyes rested pointedly on Leia implied that Mara, too, had missed Noura and Jaina, but would have teeth pulled before admitting it.

"Bring them?" Han snorted, wriggling his whiskey in his hand. "What fun would that be? We'd have to behave."

Leia arched a brow. No one in the room was convinced Han found being around his children a drag.

"'Sides, you sounded like you needed us here immediately," Han pointed out.

Luke's message had contained an odd sense of urgency. He was back, he couldn't wait to see them, did they have time to come visit, could he come over? As it were, Leia and Han had been out, so they stopped by on their way home.

"The girls are with Rouge," Leia said.

"Being corrupted," Han said.

Leia elbowed him.

"They're with her, and Yorev, and a potential new caretaker, Gareth," Leia explained.

"Is Yorev moving on?" Luke asked.

"Is Gareth a man?" Mara asked, interested.

Leia nodded. Mara found the Alderaanian tradition of using young men as nannies fascinating. Even after Leia had explained that it was common practice, as Alderaan usually held that women had an inborn talent for nurturing, but men needed to be trained to be fathers, Mara still seemed to think it outright absurd, if not dangerous. Leia knew many other cultures thought it weird, if only because strange men were the threat most mothers warned kids about, but the caretaker tradition on Alderaan had nothing to do with strange men plucked off the streets, and Mara's cool observation of it didn't bother Leia, because Han had been suspicious of the practice at first as well.

"He's not moving on yet," Leia said mildly. "But he will, at some point, and we'd rather not scramble last minute," she said.

She said nothing else; it wasn't quite the right moment to mention the new baby. The fact of the matter was, she and Han probably needed more help, potentially even including a night nurse, and when the time came that they had to leave the kids with caretakers, she thought it was best if Yorev had help, so he didn't get burned out.

"Rouge always vets that stuff," Han said. He shot Leia a look. "She _is_ corrupting the kids," he reiterated, glowering.

Luke rolled his eyes, and Leia smirked.

"He's just sulky because Jaina came home from Rouge's last week and spoke only Alderaanian for two days straight," she said, with an admiring laugh. "It was really rather impressive, except she's so young I think she got things all muddled and forgot she _could_ speak Basic."

A little bit of language confusion early on was part and parcel of raising multilingual children, which was an absolute necessity for Leia, both to keep her native tongue alive and to make sure her children had good linguistic elasticity for the future. The Force certainly aided them in picking things up; Jaina understood Chewbacca flawlessly, and had since she was two years old.

"S'okay, she got hers, I got mine," he said sternly, flashing a grin around the rim of his glass. "I taught Jainy a bunch of Corellian swear words 'fore we dropped her off earlier," he bragged.

"_Han_," Leia snapped, swatting his arm hard. "You did _not_."

"'Course I didn't," Han agreed immediately.

But the mischievous look he shot at Luke and Mara said otherwise. She gave him a withering glare, and Luke gave a gesture, pointing to the living room. They went in, and Mara paused at the edge of the room, her startling green gaze on Leia.

"You want a drink?" she asked. "Wine, or," she paused, trailing off.

She pursed her lips, and tilted her head, and then she flicked her gaze at Luke, arching her brows. The look on her face plainly said she was amused he hadn't already keyed in on the subtle, additional life presence and started questioning Leia, or at least giving her smug, knowing looks until she relented and told him herself. Leia lifted one shoulder, amused - she, too, was taken aback that her _twin brother _hadn't _immediately_ detected her pregnancy. A charming smirk slid across Mara's face, and she laughed quietly into her drink, and Leia was suddenly sure it had nothing to do with her discovery of the baby - no, she was delighted that Luke hadn't noticed, and because of that, Leia tuned into Luke and realized with a start he was abuzz with some sort of...fluttery agitation.

She blinked, and looked back to Mara, peering at her intently. The redhead tapped her fingers coolly on her tumbler, her face rearranged in a mask of unreadable haughtiness, which was her natural _look_, though it was often taken for bitchiness. It was at that point that Leia realized something was amiss - or if not amiss, going on - and on a whim she took a bold stab at probing the aura around _Mara's_ abdomen.

Mara gave a start, and executed an amusing hop from one foot to the other, and looked about to choke on her drink as she looked at Leia with silent amusement. She shook her head wildly, negatively, and Leia briefly wished she could sense Mara's thoughts as she could Luke's, to ask her what the hell was going on, but Han came to her rescue - unable to read the room, but blunt and irreverent as ever.

"Why'd you need us to rush over here?" he asked. "What's the emergency? You get a tattoo?" he snorted, leaning forward and looking at Luke pointedly.

"That would be an emergency?" Luke asked skeptically.

"Yeah, a mental health one, for _you_," Han retorted.

The idea of Luke getting a tattoo was ludicrous, but Leia gave Han's profile an amused look because so, frankly, was the idea of _him_ getting one. Han jutted a finger out around his glass and pointed at Mara without looking at her.

"You knock her up?" he asked.

Luke's eyes popped. Instead of answering Han, he gave Leia a baffled look.

"Does he have a head injury?" he asked.

Leia stifled her amusement - Han was acting a bit loose, though not out of character. She didn't necessarily want to betray his confidences, or throw him under the land-speeder, but she couldn't resist -

"We were drinking at dinner, already," she said mildly. "He's...tipsy."

Mara gave a loud, masculine snort, and Han shot Leia an offended look.

"Tipsy?" he quoted, except he said '_tispy_' and then hastily corrected it. "Tips - I am _not." _

"I thought you might be embarrassed if I told them you were drunk off three glasses of wine," Leia said innocently.

Han made a squawking noise, which he never would have made if entirely sober, and pretty much confirmed Leia's statements. Luke arched his brows in amusement. Leia had made veiled references before to Han's apparently legendary low tolerance when it came to wine, which Luke considered to be an entirely cerebral thing. The amount of alcohol was the amount of alcohol, no matter what it was contained it, but wine or not, three glasses didn't seem enough to derail Han; he'd always had quite a tolerance. It wasn't that he _didn't_ get drunk, it was that he never really _acted _like he was.

"He's out of practice," Leia said, twitching her nose. "It seems he ran a dry ship when he was deployed, and neither of us have had much chance to drink since," she pointed out. "If I had half a glass I'd probably be falling down," she said, snorting.

"You sure you don't want one?" Luke asked. "To catch up to him?" he prompted, holding his hand out dramatically at Han.

"She can't, she's," Han cleared his throat, and went on innocently: "flying."

Mara tilted her head pointedly, her eyes on Luke, and Leia waited, too, for him to say something. He just seemed a little preoccupied, and Leia parted her lips, on the verge of demanding to know what had him so jazzed up - and Mara was entirely composed, so it didn't seem like anything was _wrong_, necessarily. Exasperated, Leia frowned, folding her arms, and was on the verge of demanding to know why Luke was acting so cagey, but again, Han beat her to it.

"Somethin's up between you to, though," he said narrowly, gesturing between Mara and Luke with his glass. "You're up to somethin'."

Leia opened her mouth to back him up, and then something on one of Luke's fingers caught her eye, and her she froze, staring at him, her words caught in her throat. She continued to stare at him, until Luke blinked, followed her gaze, and then reached over to twist the gold band. Before he could say anything, Leia burst out -

"Did you get _married?"_

Her voice went up in more of a pitchy shriek than she meant it to.

Luke's face flushed, and Han sat up straighter, his eyes narrowing. His head swiveled, and he peered at Luke's hand with renewed interest. Luke held up his hands, and a ring glinted boldly on his left index finger. Leia wracked her brains attempting to figure out why it would be there; did Tatooine have explicit traditions? She didn't think so; it was a conglomerate planet, made up of flocks from different world. Was it Nubian? Was it - whatever Mara was? She had never been forthcoming about her origins. She didn't know or wasn't telling. Or a complex version of both.

Leia's mouth worked silently, and she was startled to find she was somehow surprised, excited, and - _outraged? _Where did outrage come in? It wasn't at Mara, or about Mara - her hormones swirled in a twisting gust of wind and she furrowed her brow, trying to figure out what was wrong with her - why did she suddenly feel the urge to cry? Was it - was she upset because her brother had gotten married, her brother who had stood up with her at her wedding, and he _hadn't told her_ \- hadn't let her be there to - ?

"No, no," Luke said hastily, evidently picking up on the storm rolling off Leia - but he was still too distracted to pick up on anything else, apparently, and Leia scrunched up a glare at him. "Leia, no, we're not married, we're, uh, engaged," he said, tapping his finger. "It's an engagement ring."

Han abruptly burst out laughing, and when he drew looks, he hastily turned it into a cough, pounding his chest and then managing to give Luke a delighted look and ask -

"Why are _you_ wearing it?" he asked. "She ask _you_?"

Not even a second later, Han's eyes widened.

"Kriff," he swore. "_She_ asked _you_!" he repeated, entirely confident. His eyes went wide.

Leia suddenly recalled a conversation on a balcony, the night she met Mara; the night she accepted Mara. _I intend to ask him...he's very hesitant to take any sort of charge around women. _She licked her lips, and Han rubbed his jaw, shaking his head at Luke.

"You even get her a ring, or somethin' pretty, y'know, a token, like," he gestured at Leia, "her necklace, or - "

Luke pointed accusingly at Mara.

"She bought her own ring!" he said, and when Leia and Han turned, she flashed a hand at them, showing a neat, modest little deep green gem nestled on her index finger. The band was thin, lustrous gold, and the way it matched her eyes told Leia Mara was a little more taken with some aspects of femininity than she would ever admit. "She got it, and then she gave it to me, with mine, and told me she wanted me to give it back to her!"

He blinked, scowling.

"There's nothing _wrong_ with her asking me, if she was ready, and she wanted to," he defended. "Are you being sexist, Han?"

Han backtracked immediately, his eyes even wider.

"No, no'm just...tryin' figure out what culture you're followin', if you're not married, but you're wearing - "

"It's not any culture, in particular," Mara said breezily. "I simply have always found it foolish that during an engagement, women are expected to wear an outward token indicating they are unavailable, and men aren't. If the world is going to know that I am taken, it is going to know he is, too," she said firmly.

Leia smirked. She crossed one leg over the other and bounced her foot idly, her heart settling a little. She blinked her stinging eyes, weepy feelings at bay for the moment. Han turned his head to look at her, raising his eyebrows gleefully as if to ask what she thought of all this business, and she compressed her lips. Tossing her head, she glared at Luke affectionately.

"I want to know how it happened," she demanded.

Luke flushed again, but Mara stepped forward, pointing at him.

"He had just finished outlining his plan for his Jedi Academy to Ruwee," she said. "The outline of which is...the result of so much research, and careful attention to the best way forward for all Jedi, to avoid the corruption of the past, and he took me to the site where he wants to build it on Naboo - it's the site of a ruined palace, if you must know, one of _Padme's_ palaces, one that was desecrated after her death and stood as a warning; this whole endeavor is as much a monument to her as anything - and I felt that was the right time. He asked me to be a part of it, as not only his lover, but a teacher."

Mara paused for what seemed like a long time, and if she were any other woman, Leia might have thought she was trying not to cry. When she spoke again, her voice was smooth and steady.

"He sees me...in spite of it all...as healed enough, from the Dark Side, to teach the Light to apprentices, to children he wants to take in," she said. "He sees me...like that," she said, and though she sounded quite matter-of-fact, Leia could easily tell how much that sort of faith meant to her. Her own throat tightened.

Mara paused again, and then shrugged.

"So I handed him the ring and I told him he might as well say what he really meant and ask me to marry him. Of course, being who he is, he stuttered and blushed so much, I just took a knee and did it for him," she finished.

A wicked grin burst across her face, and Leia lifted a hand to her mouth, thrilled. Her other hand fluttered instinctively to her abdomen, where she could feel a vague sense of curiosity as the baby mulled over her feelings. He felt sleepy, but content, and Leia turned to eye Han, eager to see his reaction. Han was looking between the two of them - Luke and Mara - as if they were both absolutely mad, and Leia draped an arm around her shoulders.

"..He asked you to be a part of it as his _lover_?" Han said finally. "He said...you said _lover_?" he asked, snickering at Luke.

Luke blushed defensively.

"Girlfriend sounds...diminished!" he protested.

"He's right, Han," Leia defended solemnly. "When I called you my boyfriend around Father, I swear it took ten years off my age."

Han cocked his head, and he turned a swaggering grin on Leia.

"You called me your _boyfriend_?" he teased smugly.

"I'm about to be calling you my ex-husband," she quipped.

She bit her lip, turning her eyes back on Luke - she was silent, because there was so much to take in. Not only their engagement, but the unveiling of Luke's plans for an Academy, which she knew was an idea dear to his heart. And to build it in one of Padme's ruined palaces? Leia knew she had commissioned two during her time, not out of arrogance, but out of love; both built with cutting edge technology that conserved and recycled things in innovative ways - she had held court from neither; rather, she had housed refugees and struggling people in them, made them sanctuaries of social justice. A perfect place for Luke to rebuild an order that had strayed so far from its original mandate.

She swallowed hard.

"Luke, I want to hear more about your temple," she said huskily.

"Good," he said hopefully, "because I want to teach your children, someday, though I'd never take them from you young, not like the Order apparently used to - "

"And I'm so glad you didn't elope, when I thought you'd - I want to be at your wedding," Leia went on, talking over him hurriedly.

She blinked, and Luke nodded, sharing a sly look with Mara.

"That's the thing, we want you two to be there, to witness," Luke said hurriedly. "Mara and I...don't want a big ordeal, and with Rouge always eyeing me as if I'm her adopted son, we want...we want it quiet, and we thought - we're getting married, uh, tonight," he finished.

Leia stared at him. She sensed excitement and thrill emanating from him; he was caught up in the idea and as giddy as she'd ever felt him, and from Mara, she sensed the same sort of feeling, though cooler and more controlled. She whipped her head to look at Mara, narrowing her eyes, and Han scratched his jaw incredulously, apparently just as surprised.

"So," he said, downing the rest of his whiskey. "She _is_ knocked up?" he joked, pointing at Mara.

He laughed at himself, and Leia elbowed him sharply.

"She's not," she corrected confidently.

She - for some unfathomable reason - felt tears pricking her eyes again. Her eyes searched Mara's, and then Luke's, trying to keep up.

"You don't want - _anything_, not even a small ceremony? Wedge and the other Rogues will throttle you if they don't get to do a stag night!" she protested, licking her lips. "Are you afraid she'll change her mind?" she demanded.

Luke looked amused.

"Leia, you said yourself you'd have eloped if your father hadn't been found alive," he pointed out.

"But my wedding was beautiful," Leia said, her lip trembling - to her horror, her eyes actually filled with tears. "You should have that, and you," she rounded on Mara fiercely. "You'd look incredible in a bridal gown and you damn well know it! You deserve it!"

Mara tilted her head, her lips parting. She flicked her eyes at Luke, uncertain, and Luke arched his brows. Leia frowned.

"Tonight?" she repeated. "How are you even - _who_ is going to marry you?" she asked, exasperated.

At the same time, she wasn't sure why she cared, or why she was being so...emotional. Luke and Mara had every right to do this how they wanted, but suddenly, she wanted at least some of the trappings of ceremony and tradition, even if it was small, because her wedding really had been very important to her, and these things should have a touch of magic to them - they couldn't be solely perfunctory!

Mara blinked, thoughtful.

"Oh," she said, as if that hadn't occurred to her. "A vital records droid?"

Leia nearly choked. She seized Han's arm in a vice grip and he jumped, alarmed.

"Sith, Leia, it's not like she suggested Jabba the Hutt do it," he snorted.

"A stranger - _a droid_?" Leia hissed. "You - "

Mara grimaced suddenly.

"She's right," she noted slowly. "Lu and I wanted small, intimate," she paused, and pursed her lips. "Ship captains can perform marriages, can't they? They have the right in all systems?"

Leia wondered if Mara was about to -

"Han can do it," Mara said blithely. "Han, will you marry us?"

Han thrust out his empty whiskey glass, tipping it expectantly.

"Sure as hell will," he agreed, smirking.

Leia pinched his ribs, and he hunched away, laughing. She narrowed her eyes, and suddenly, Luke was laughing, too.

"Leia," he snorted. "_Why_ are you throwing a fit?" he asked, eyes sparkling. "Han?" he prompted, as if demanding Han answer for his inexplicable wife - or blaming him for Leia's overly emotional behavior.

Han gave a shrug.

"Take it easy on her, kid, she's pregnant," he said flippantly.

It was Luke's turn to blink, his eyes going wide. Mara nodded idly, and took Han's whiskey glass, going to grab him a refill. Leia's mouth fell open, and she fixed an icy glare on Han, her eyes still glittering with tears.

"Han," she hissed. "How could you, how - "

"What?" he asked, turning towards her slowly, his brows furrowing a little. "We aren't keepin' it a _secret_, only reason he didn't know is 'cause he wasn't home," he said, slowly. "'Sides, can't he," he broke off, nodding at Luke. "You can tell, can't you?"

Luke spent a few seconds doing a spectacular impression of a fish out of water, and then shook himself.

"I thought I - well I was caught up in my feelings for Mara and I thought...I wasn't," he swallowed, "yes, I can tell, now," he said with a gasp, focusing, and Leia felt realization dawn on him.

"Why are you mad?" Han asked, genuinely baffled.

"You _stole_ their _thunder_!" Leia snapped. "Their marriage…_engagement_ thunder, you snatched it right - "

"Aww, Leia," Luke said, clasping her hand gently. "There is no thunder, that's the point. We'd have married at Varykino if I hadn't been adamant that you be there," he assured her.

Mara, returning and handing Han his refill, looked approvingly at Luke.

"Finally sensed the baby, eh?" she asked, then turned to Leia briskly. "Does Han know it's a - "

"Boy? Yes," Leia said, trying to sort out her rush of emotions and make them all calm down. _Calm the fuck down_! She told herself - physically, this pregnancy was a breeze, but her emotions seemed to be more of a wreck; perhaps because this new baby had the makings of an empath? Luke theorized that some who were strong in the Force found their power in deep emotional connections - he thought Leia was like that, to an extent; her power manifested as subtler, more cerebral, where Luke's was physical.

Mara raised her glass in a toast to them, a small smile on her lips. Luke appeared to be puzzling something out, and then held up his hands, six fingers held up.

"You just _had_ a baby," he pointed out. "Noura's...in Mos Eisley, we call this Tatooine twins," he said.

"The whole galaxy calls it that, _farm boy_," Mara told him sagely.

Han looked at Leia seriously.

"Good thing everyone keeps remindin' us we just had a baby," he said, pretending to whisper. "Otherwise, I might forget."

Luke rolled his eyes at Han, and let his hands fall. His expression turned earnest.

"How are you feeling?" he asked and then, swallowing excitedly: "A boy?"

Leia nodded.

"Very well, thank you," she said simply. "I'm," she paused, and ran her hand over Han's thigh, squeezing. "It was...unexpected, but Han and I are happy," she said.

She felt him slid a hand over hers, then lift it to his lips, and kiss her wrist, resting his cheek against her knuckles affectionately. He nodded.

"Of course," Luke said softly.

Leia flicked her eyes away, and sniffed, clearing her throat.

"You have to ignore my histrionics," she said, and she had a district sense that Han was nodding fervently behind her back, reinforcing her. "I almost started crying yesterday because Zozy pulled a sock off Noura, and I'd just put it on her."

Han gave a subtle, quiet laugh.

"Almost," he quoted, in a tone that heavily implied Leia was full of it, and had been in full blown tears - Leia refused to admit to it. Even if she had absolutely been sitting on the nursery floor sobbing, while Zozy chewed the sock and Noura chewed on her fingers, and Han tried to find out if someone was dying or if this was just a _mood._

Licking her lips, she tried to puzzle out how this day had gone - started off ordinary, ended in a much needed date night, with Han and Leia free from the kids, as Rouge and Bail were keeping them all night - a whirlwind flood of secrets and whimsy from Mara and Luke...Leia shook her head, lifting her head to glare indulgently at her brother.

"I might have had a stroke if you eloped," she said softly, and then looked between him, and Mara, "but I want you to be happy," she said, clearly intending it for both of them. "If it was best for you to be married at Varykino, you should have."

It was Mara who shook her head.

"Luke wanted you there," she said. "If it is important to him, it is important to me."

She took the rest of her whiskey one one drought, and smacked her lips, pursing them coolly.

"Han?" she said sharply, and Han flashed a grin, looking to Leia to see what she had to say.

She opened her mouth, and took a moment to consider the absurdity of Han, half drunk, presiding over some cobbled together vows and supervising the signing of a document. Legal, sure, in a haphazard way, but somehow, it seemed brazenly appropriate for Mara, and Luke was Han's brother in multiple sense of the word; in law, as a surrogate. In fact, Leia was fairly sure she had signing authority for a marriage document, at least, her signature would hold valid in the eyes of Alderaanians and the Elder Houses, for all that mattered to Luke.

Parting her lips in helpless amusement, she laced her fingers into Han's.

"Did you...have _any_ idea this is how tonight would end up?" she asked.

"Yeah," Han said, deadpan. "Exactly what I expected."

Leia rolled her eyes. Han pointed at Luke.

"Let's get you hitched, Master Jade," he said drawled.

"I'll be taking Skywalker," Mara said mildly.

"Save it for the honeymoon," Han joked.

Mara smirked, but inclined her head.

"His name, I mean," she said calmly. "I have no attachment to mine, but I choose his," she said. "I thought I would name a daughter _Jade_, if I have one."

Han cupped his jaw in his hand, taken aback, staring at Mara. He then rolled his head towards Leia, eyebrows raised.

"_That_ I did not expect," he muttered.

Leia looped her arm around his, squeezed, and then disentangled, standing up. She hugged Luke again, pulling him close, and pressing her forehead tightly into his shoulder. There was nothing she wanted for him more than this kind of happiness; she wanted his Jedi dreams to come true, the destiny he believed in to be wholesome, and the great romance of his life to be as pure and strengthening as hers was. He had earned it by the skin of his teeth, just as she had, just as Han had, and just as Mara had.

Luke hugged her back tightly, brimming with peace and excitement. She understood, implicitly, that this was not a decision made in haste for him, not a rush, but instead a deeply rooted desire to be formally bonded to Mara, and he could hardly wait. There was a giddy romantic hidden in him, too, just as there was in Leia, and she pulled back with a laugh.

Luke kissed her cheek, holding his hand out hesitantly. Leia nodded, and he touched her abdomen, concentrating.

"He's strong," he murmured.

Leia nodded, biting her lip.

"He's gentle," she added. "He's been so good," she said, in relief.

Unspoken was Luke's burning curiosity to know what it felt like to be a parent, and Leia hoped, if that's what he and Mara wanted, they'd have no trouble experiencing one day. Still, her said nothing for a moment, and then he tilted his head, introspective, and analytical. He pressed his hand a little firmer, thinking, and Leia dipped her head in a nod.

"He feels different," she confirmed softly, though without concern. "He's healthy," she assured Luke.

She had felt only slight differences in this pregnancy, nothing she could describe, and nothing that filled her with dread. Nothing ominous, and perhaps it was only because she'd never carried a boy before, and there might be nuances. She kept her senses sharp, and paid attention to herself - but all was quiet, and all was well.

"Leia," she heard Han whine jealously, and she gently shoved Luke's hand away.

"He can't feel it yet," she reminded Luke.

She took a step to the side, and turned back, returning to the sofa. Instead of resuming her seat, she perched on Han's knee, looking at him expectantly. He tapped his jaw, and then put a hand to his chest, blinking.

"Hang on," he said, as if suddenly realizing something. "This ain't a con," he said slowly. "They really want me to _marry_ them?"

"It seems they are fairly serious," Leia said regally. She smiled, biting her lip. "I have contacts on plenty of systems that are in daylight right now to notarize the forms," she added secretively.

Han fumbled for a moment, blinking blearily, as if he truly had been going along with it because he thought they were all just fucking with Leia, and then he gave Luke a stern look, shaking his finger at him.

"I'll do it," he growled, "but you gotta call Antilles. He'll _gut_ you if he finds out you didn't ask him to stand up with you," he said sharply.

Luke hesitated, flicking his eyes at Mara. Mara waved her hand permissively, and Leia, still perched on Han's knee, was later hardly able to relate the story of that evening without dissolving into laughter, particularly every time she got to the part about Wedge Antilles, because an hour later, when they'd finally raised him on the comm, roused him out of bed, and convinced him to show up to Luke's apartment, he'd stood there half asleep with his hair sticking up in the back, utterly confused, and barely awake enough to comprehend the shenanigans he'd just been witness to.

Absurdity aside, Leia found herself enthralled with the evening, with Han's swaggering supervision of the whole thing - it was a moment of pure, carnival levity, and heartwarming, unique commitment. In it, Leia gained a sister, and her children gained an aunt: the kind of woman Leia was proud to have as a role model for her girls _and_ her son. The unexpectedness of the evening refreshed her, most significantly because it reminded her that sometimes, unexpected things - moments, evenings, _babies_ \- were beautiful.

* * *

Bail firmly maintained that he _tried_ not to indulge his grandchildren _too_ much. Leia outright disagreed; she felt he gave into them with annoying ease and handed them back spoiled and coddled, full of sugar and demands and decimated sleep schedules. Or at least, he did with Jaina, though he was sure Leia assumed he would do the same with Noura when she was old enough for the concept of spoiling to apply to her. He told himself that he was no more slightly doting than any grandparent, but perhaps he was biased in his own defense.

He tried, also, to keep himself beholden to her requests and rules when they were with him - for example, to take Noura's burgeoning separation anxiety with a grain of salt. Leia said they weren't ignoring her about it, per se, but they also weren't making a big deal of rushing to fawn over her and comfort her if she had to be left with someone else briefly - because she needed to get used to it.

Bail agreed. He even saw the logic in it. But he thought Noura's sulking and crying was heartbreaking, and he was overly sensitive to children's histrionics for the simple fact that he hadn't ever been as closely involved in Leia's. Separation anxiety was an alien concept, because the way he was raised - and the way Leia was raised - meant separation was a given. Bail and Breha had been more involved than most aristocrats were in child-rearing, but it still hadn't been considered odd or neglectful for Leia to see only her night nurse and governess for a week.

He might have been more used to it, and able to combat his own anxiety, if he'd had more hands on experience, or more than one child to compare to, so when Noura started crying the moment Han walked out the door - her face crumpling in despair, her eyes going wide, fingers going to her mouth morosely - Bail picked her up immediately and snuggled her on his lap.

"Dada," she whimpered, mumbling the word - the only word she said, as of yet - around chubby fingers. "Dada. Dada."

"He'll be _right_ back, Noura," Bail said kindly.

Han had only stepped out to run down to the residence's entrance and pick up the girls' prescriptions, which Chewbacca had filled for them.

"_Dada_," Noura cried gloomily.

Tears spilled down her face, and she scrubbed her hand against her cheek furiously. Bail gently grabbed her hand to stop her from scratching. He had seen Noura become antsy if Han or Leia left the room, but he hadn't seen her react this badly. Perhaps it was compounded by the fact that she was ill. From the floor, Jaina looked up at him, picking at a scab on her bare knee.

"She does not like when Daddy leave," Jaina informed him.

"I know," Bail murmured, stroking Noura's hair. "But he'll be right back," he said again. "Jaina, don't scratch that."

Jaina ignored him, and thrust her head back.

"She wants Mama," she sighed, gesturing at Noura.

She tilted her head back down, and scraped her teeth on her knee, scratching with them. Bail stared at her, taken aback. His forehead wrinkled, and he shook his head.

"Jaina - _stop, _stop scratching - "

"Not scratch," Jaina grumbled at him, "bite."

Bail gave her a withering look.

"Don't put your mouth on the scabs!"

Jaina scrunched her nose up hard and glared at him. Noura babbled forlornly, her nonsense language a mishmash of vowels and consonants, and Jaina tilted her head to the side and chirped something unintelligible back. Noura sniffled, but her crying faded to a low, dull hum, almost under her breath. Bail kissed the top of her head. Leia said Noura and Jaina seemed to have developed a pidgin type language that only they could understand. Bail wondered if she was right, or if Jaina was just pulling one over on all of them. Leia was probably right. She usually was.

"Dada," Noura mumbled. Her eyes fixed on the door.

Bail sighed. He stopped her, a second time, from trying to claw at her face. Jaina and Noura had both come down with Qii Pox, which was mostly harmless, a point that was generally thrown around when harassed parents demanded why there _still_ wasn't a vax for it. All it did was cause fevers and itchy, pox-like rashes, which in children of course also caused irritability and whining. Nearly every human child picked it up at some point, and anyone who had it never got it again. It was one of those routine childhood illnesses that was nothing to worry about...unless you were pregnant. It was, for some reason, extremely dangerous to babies still in the womb.

Hence, Han had shown up at the Residence two days ago, Noura and Jaina in tow, and informed Bail that Leia had kicked them all out and they'd be staying with him until the contagion subsided. At the time, neither little girl had been displaying symptoms, but Leia had insisted she _just knew _they both had contracted it, though at the time, they both only had mild fevers and a small cough. Six hours later, both of the children were covered in spots. Leia credited the Force to alerting her so that there was no danger to the baby.

The younger baby, that is. Technically, Noura was the baby...for twelve more weeks or so. Bail was still having a tiny bit of trouble wrapping his head around that. More than once he'd done a double take at her, and had the hazy thought of _'hasn't she already had the baby?'_ and then remembered yes, she had, except he was thinking about Noura, and she was pregnant with a different one.

"Uh oh," Jaina said from the floor, holding up her arm. She pointed to her elbow seriously. "Scab broke," she announced, showing him a smear of blood.

Bail frowned at her, but didn't chastise - it was too late, at that point, anyway.

"Well, when your dad gets back he'll have some medication to put on the itchy spots. That will help make you feel better."

Jaina blithely scratched her ankles. Noura's ears seemed to perk up at the mention of Han, and then she slouched in Bail's grip, still staring fixedly at the door. She reached out her hands and made clutching motions.

"Dada," she called, breaking into tears again.

"He's only downstairs," Bail said, exasperated.

"No, he back," Jaina said. She pointed at Noura. "She knows."

The words were barely out of Jaina's mouth when the door opened again and Han strolled back in, a heavy bag slung over his shoulder. It seemed Chewbacca had brought along more than prescription medication. Han dropped the bag with a dull _thud_, then let the door shut. Noura strained and struggled on Bail's lap, her red face threatening a full blown scream. Han crossed the room in two strides and picked her up swiftly, settling her on his hip and holding her tight. He began to fuss over her immediately, and Jaina got up and sashayed over to Bail, leaning over his knees to take Noura's place.

"Daddy can I have the no-scratchy stuff?" she asked.

"Mmhm, it's in the bag," Han muttered.

He tickled Noura's stomach, and she seized his hand, grinning.

"Dada," she crooned.

Bail stood up, shuffling over to the bag to look for the prescription.

"I thought," he said, peering at Han wryly, "we were supposed to be not making a big deal out of her being clingy."

"Yeah, weren't _we_?" Han retorted, just as targeted - as if Bail hadn't been frantically cuddling Noura to soothe her tears. He shook his head, and kissed Noura's nose, shrugging defiantly. "_Leia_ is not here," he muttered quietly, arching his brows at the baby. Noura rested her head against his chest and quieted happily, burrowing around to rub her face on his shirt. Han let her, for now; the friction of the soft material on her rash was a better choice than her sharp baby nails. Noura was his second baby, and he was still baffled at how deadly baby fingernails were. Jaina had once scratched her own cornea waving her little claws around her face.

"The meds are in the front pocket," Han grunted, carrying Noura over to the sofa. "One bottle of lotion for each of them, and a chewy immune boost tablet for Jaina."

"What is all the rest of this?" Bail asked, crouching to dig through the front pocket.

"Chewie just brought them so more clothes and stuff, and some toys, but they should be over this by tomorrow night. Prob'ly stay an extra day just so Leia feels safe."

"Certainly," Bail said. "You're all welcome, of course."

Rouge was certainly enjoying having the girls at her beck and call, and she'd brought Gareth around again, so Han could get to know him a bit better. Rouge did all the vetting for Han and Leia's childcare - she thrived on it - but Han was usually the one who had final say, and he was picky. It had taken him long enough to approve of Yorev, and now that he was so used to Yorev, anyone new had to live up to that.

Noura and Jaina had a shared nursery to themselves in the residence, one of Breha's old studies that Rouge had been delighted to transform into a place for them. There was plenty of room for each girl to have her own room and they would when, as Rouge said, they were of the right age, but it was common on Alderaan for children to all share a nursery sleep area and a playroom. It helped with socialization and sharing. Han had spent half of each of the past two nights asleep on the floor of that room. Noura was agitated, being both sick, and in an unfamiliar crib, and even if Han was ignoring Leia's decree not to coddle her, he wouldn't go so far as to have her sleep with him.

That would likely start a habit that would bring Leia to tears, if Han came home and Noura suddenly wouldn't sleep by herself. At least if Han had to fall asleep in the nursery and sneak out once in a while, Leia would have her bed to herself, something she desperately needed right now.

Bail handed one bottle to Han, and sat back down in his place, beckoning brightly to Jaina.

"You ready to make the itching stop?" he asked.

Jaina looked a little gloomy - she hated the feel of lotions - but nodded, shuffling forward. Han was busy reading the label of his bottle carefully, as if suspicious it wasn't mild enough for Noura's skin, no matter what the medics said. Jaina stood between Bail's knees and pointed to her elbows, stomach, and shins, when he asked here where the rash was worst, and where he should start.

"Leia ever have this?" Han asked, smoothing the thinnest layer he could manage over visibly red spots on Noura.

"No," Bail said. "She had Ibaarian measles once, when she was Jaina's age. Much, _much_ worse. Her lungs filled with fluid and she had to be hospitalized. She was never sick again, after that."

"Yeah, she said...Luke told her he was never sick, so they're thinkin' people who are Force sensitive have better immune systems," Han muttered. He shrugged. "Might be true. But they still got this," he grumbled.

"It isn't so bad, Han," Bail said. "Trying to keep them from scratching themselves raw is the worst part," he pointed out.

Han shrugged. He was still worried about Leia, even though she said she wasn't going to catch it, at this point. It was only contagious after the spots appeared, since the virus spread from person to person via the rash. Han had no idea where they would have picked it up. Maybe Zozy had tracked through something, or some kid playing in the courtyard...he shrugged again. It really wasn't _that _bad. It was just that Jaina and Noura both had such miserable fevers last night that they'd tossed and turned, but been too groggy and weak to cry or whine much, and the images of them pale, clammy, and helpless, while he was powerless to make them feel better, stayed with him.

Noura slouched away from him and started up a soft, annoyed keening sound. She mumbled some nonsense at him, and Jaina turned, cocking her ears.

"It burns," she said, translating. She raised her own arm, which Bail was tending to. "Burns, burns," she reiterated.

"I know," Han said. He paused to kiss the top of Noura's head. "I know, honey, but that makes it heal."

Jaina crinkled her nose.

"It smells yucky," she informed him.

Bail lifted the bottle to his face to sniff it, unable to smell anything overpowering. He frowned, and Han only just caught the wicked look on Jaina's face before she launched her hand upward, smacked the bottom of the lotion bottle, and giggled smugly as the jolt sent splatters of lotion to pepper Bail's face. Han narrowed his eyes, mustering a stern glare, while Bail reared back, shocked, his mouth moving silently in disbelief.

"Jaina Yvaine Solo," Han growled. "You apologize. Baba is _helping_ you."

Jaina gave a shrill giggle.

"Funny!"

"Apologize, Jaina!"

Jaina twisted her face into one of her sulky pouts, and meekly turned back, shuffling her feet.

"I am sorry, Baba," she said softly.

Bail carefully wiped his face, rubbing his palm on his trousers to get some of the excess lotion off. He still seemed to be in shock, and he frowned slightly, eyeing Jaina for a moment.

"That is okay," he said firmly. "I think you were trying to make me laugh, weren't you?" he asked.

Jaina puckered her lips in an even more spectacular pout.

"Prank," she said, by way of answer.

Han scowled.

"Who taught you that trick?" he asked. "Who - hmm," he broke off, grimacing, and didn't say anything else. He felt his father-in-law's eyes on him sharply, but he was not about to tell him that Jaina had probably seen him dunk Luke's face into a a glass of water - or two - using that trick. Kriff, kids really were listening to and observing every damn thing you did.

Han went back to his task, glaring down at Noura moodily, and after a moment, Bail snorted.

"I applaud your self control, Han."

Han glanced up at him warily, arching a brow.

"I'm impressed you didn't laugh at me," Bail pointed out dryly. "You went straight to discipline."

"Don't get used to it," Han retorted, smirking a little. He shifted Noura, holding her up to his shoulder, and lifting her little blouse up so he could put some of the soothing lotion on her back. He grunted. "Think I've always been...too lenient, more lenient than I should," he admitted. "Jainy's been pretty bold, especially after Noura was born, and Leia," he paused, trailing off. "Think it hurts her that she feels like she's the mean one. She's never _said_ anything," he said, "but I can tell. And I don't want her to have to say anything."

He tilted his head to peer at Noura. She'd stopped whining, but she was looking pretty glum,, as if she were a prisoner in his arms, instead of at home there.

"Just a little more, okay?" he murmured.

"I put a humidifier in their room and turned the air to cool," Bail offered. "Maybe that will keep them from getting hot and sweaty and scratching in their sleep, but won't dry out their rashes so that they're even itchier. Rouge suggested it."

"Good white noise, too," Han said gruffly. "Jaina sleeps better with white noise."

Noura, for the most part, still slept exceedingly well. Jaina seemed unable to turn her brain off, even when she was tired. Last week, Han had woken up to Jaina sitting cross-legged on the floor by his side of the bed, staring up at him with quiet interest. When he saw her and nearly jumped out of his skin, she'd let out a shrieking cackle, and gone darting off to hide, declaring they were playing hide-and-seek. She had no ability to shield her mind or her location from Leia, though, so Leia had rooted her out immediately, and they'd been able to get her back in bed before the ruckus woke Noura up. Needless to say, Jaina was still adjusting to her new sister, and the knowledge that there was another new baby coming right on the heels of Noura had probably added to the shake up, and her desire to push boundaries.

It was almost as if she was testing how much they loved her, to make sure Noura's arrival hadn't really _hadn't_ made her second-best.

"I want it on the record that I was laughing at you in my head, Bail," Han muttered.

Bail snorted appreciatively.

"You still got lotion on your eyebrow."

Bail rolled his eyes, but lifted his wrist to hastily swipe at his brow, anyway. Jaina submitted to her manhandling without further incident, and long after he'd finished applying lotion, Han kept rubbing Noura's back to comfort her. She, after all, was younger, and had less understanding of what was happening to her.

"You don't think your mama is mean, do you?" Bail asked Jaina, tickling her ribs affectionately. "Do you, sunflower?"

Jaina giggled, hunching up. She shook her head rapidly.

"No, Mama _smaaart_," she drawled smoothly. "She not want baby to get sick," Jaina explained confidently. "She tell Daddy to get out."

Bail grinned.

"She did, didn't she? And your father brought everyone here just to keep me and Ro-Ro company."

Jaina nodded fervently. She put her hands on her hips, and swirled around.

"Nor is...hungry," she announced.

She was usually eerily accurate with that.

"Bail, can you - "

"Yeah, I'll warm one up," Bail said. "Is _Jaina_ hungry?" he asked brightly, holding his hand out to her as he got up. Jaina inched away.

"No thank you, I will stay here," she said, surprisingly politely. She gave a little wave, and as Bail gave her an amused look and nodded, turning to go heat up a bottle for Noura, she spun on her heel and crawled up next to Han. She slid her arms around his and rested her head on his shoulder, perching right next to him contently.

"You feel okay?" Han asked her.

Jaina nodded.

"Not so itchy," she decided. "Not so hot and sticky."

"Good," Han breathed. He tilted his head. "What about your sister?" he asked. "I know she's hungry. She feel okay?"

He'd thought it was absurd, at first, silly, that Jaina - at such a young age - would be so perceptive to Noura, even able to understand Noura's nonsense babbling, which Leia said was more sensory expression than understanding of what she wanted and needed from the complex world around her. Jaina was intimately connected to the baby's worldview, though, and it had become natural for Han and Leia to accept her word for it if something was up.

Jaina reached over and grasped Noura's foot. Han gave her a warning look, but she was gently.

"She is okay...if she here," she said, frowning, as if she didn't understand. "Okay here."

"Here at Baba's?"

"Hmm. No. Here," Jaina said again. She headbutted Han's arm softly. "Here, on you."

"Ahh," Han said softly. He shifted his shoulder just a little, and Noura barely even wriggled. It felt like she was falling asleep. "I'll have to let her stay here for a minute, won't I?" he asked.

Jaina nodded. She hung onto his arm and hunkered down, bringing her elbow up to cough into her sleeve like she'd been shown.

"No germs," she told him smugly, coughing again. Her cough sounded much better today. Yesterday, Han had been absolutely convinced she was about to cough up a lung. Rouge, of all people, was the person who had firmly talked him out of dragging Jaina to a med center. _Nonsense, Han_, she'd said, _she'll just pick up something else, too, and get sicker. _

"Jainy, can you feel your mom?" Han asked.

Jaina tilted her head way back, blinking. She nodded. Jaina could, from what they could tell, always feel Leia.

"_She_ okay?"

Jaina yawned.

"She sleep," she said.

That gave Han some relief. Jaina might or might not be correct, but it was always nice to know Leia was getting sleep, particularly these days. Jaina extracted herself and turned, kneeling on the sofa and peering over it to watch her grandfather come back. Her dark eyes followed Bail until he handed a bottle to Han, and then she slid off the couch.

"Can I have a snack?" she asked sweetly, almost as soon as Bail's backside touched the couch.

Han blinked, sparing her a look of disbelief as he fumbled with the bottle. Hadn't he just asked her if she was - !

"Sure can," Bail said, and pulled a Shuura out of his pocket. He tossed it smugly from palm to palm, and then gallantly handed it out to her. Jaina beamed, delighted, and Han smirked, arching a brow.

"Nice," he complimented.

"One thing I very much do remember is the childhood propensity to change their mind about food," Bail snorted.

Han nodded, transferring Noura into a cradle. She accepted the change for a moment, but then rolled towards his chest, shuffling her legs around, and then mad as if she would sit up - she was doing pretty much everything except walking, and Han had noticed she no longer liked to be fed on her back, if she could help it. She preferred sitting in his lap. She really only let Leia cradle her.

"Bite into that a couple times for her," he said, jerking his chin at the Shuura. "She can't break the skin."

Bail took the fruit back, did so, and gave it back so that Jaina could more easily gnaw on the flesh. She did so, plopping down on the floor contently, and Han focused completely on getting Noura to take the bottle, which she did only halfheartedly. Jaina tapped Han's ankle and waved her fruit at him.

"Noooo," she said, thought a mouthful. "She want _mama_."

Han sighed. Noura might want Leia, but she ended up grudgingly taking the bottle. It was hit or miss. Leia had decided against weaning her, but they were pretty liberal with supplementing formula, particularly if Leia hadn't had time to set aside bottles. Jaina started to hum to herself, engrossed in the fruit, and Bail looked between them for a moment before leaning back with a satisfied nod.

"Both of them seem a lot better," he declared. "Definitely better than last night."

"Yeah," Han agreed, again, grateful for that.

"I'm sure you'll be happy to get home," Bail said.

Han nodded. He didn't feel out of place or alienated here; he was long past that, but it was still more comfortable to be at his home. Logically, it probably would have made more sense for Leia to come stay, since she was only one person, but she was overwhelmed at work lately and attempting to balance important negotiations with taking care of herself; she'd twisted herself in knots trying to explain that she would never, ever consider sick children a blessing, but she was also pleading with Han to take them to Bail's so she could have uninterrupted sleep and uninhibited alone time. She wouldn't get that if she was the one who went to stay under the same roof as Rouge.

Bail hadn't questioned why Han and two kids were the ones who had moved around for the duration of the illness, he was just happy to have them there, and happy with whatever was best for his own daughter.

"How's Leia holding up?" Bail asked. "Is this pregnancy still fairly easy for her?"

"Yeah," Han said again, raising both eyebrows. "S'almost like she's not pregnant, most of the time, or so she says," he answered. Leia really did seem completely at ease physically; she hadn't experienced any nausea or headaches, and though the usual things like swelling feet were bothering her, they weren't as bad as they had been in the past. And though she was tired, she was sleeping well when she did get sleep, and felt energized after. "She actually thinks still nursing Noura is helping," he added. "Dunno. Like, it's an adrenaline rush or somethin'."

"That's good to hear," Bail said. "I worried, you know," he trailed off. "Well," he said, floundering.

Han didn't make him finish. He knew pregnancy made Bail squeamish - and not in the sense that he thought it vulgar or unseemly. It scared him. He was very, very circumspect about it, but he was obviously unable to shake the years of fear and loss he'd gone through with Breha. And then Leia's birth mother had died having her, to boot. Han didn't think it took a clairvoyant to figure out that the idea of Leia having a short interval pregnancy sent his nerves through the roof.

"Everything's all good, Bail," Han confirmed.

"And emotionally? She's alright in that respect, too?" Bail continued.

Han shifted Noura's bottle slightly. He nodded.

"This bothers her," he said, "so she's been a little upset the past few days," he said. She had been when he'd talked to her to keep her updated.

"I can understand that. It's never pleasant having sick babies."

"S'more that she hates she can't take care of them," Han said. "Not that she _likes_ 'em bein' sick, but she does like takin' care of them when they're sick, and since it's Qii Pox and she _can't_ I think she feels a little...alienated," he muttered.

"Ah," Bail murmured.

He reached down to wipe Jaina's mouth before Shuura juice could drip on the floor.

"She's okay, though," Han reiterated, nodding to himself.

"Shock's worn off?" Bail asked a little wryly.

Han snorted.

"It's kinda weird," he admitted frankly. "'Cause we're happy, y'know, can't wait to _see_ him and all that, but it's not the same...jittery _excitement_," he said slowly. "S'like, logistics, planning, meticulous organizing," he listed. He paused, and then his expression darkened a little. "Leia told Mon the other day and she said Mon didn't seem happy."

Bail frowned.

"I don't see Mon being resentful of a woman taking time for her children," he said. "She's always been quite feminist in that respect."

Han gave a vague snort.

"You weren't around when she was trying to pawn Leia off on a foreign prince," he retorted, the barest hint of bitterness still in his voice. "She's made good," he conceded fairly, "but politically she wishes they," he gestured at Noura and Jaina, "were princesses of Hapes."

Bail arched a brow. He, smartly, kept his mouth shut about things he hadn't been around for. It had always made him deeply uncomfortable to know that Mon, whom he'd mentored, and trusted more than anyone with Leia's well-being, had pressured her to sell herself into a political match. Breha never would have supported such a thing. Leia never would have been forced or coerced into a marriage by the Organas, though what she would have felt obligated to do for the sake of the throne if things were different was an unknown thing entirely.

She said she was fated to find Han no matter what, and briefly, Bail entertained himself imagining her bringing Han back to Aldera and him ending up Viceroy of Alderaan. It wouldn't go _too_ badly, Bail supposed. Han really was a very good general, whether he liked to admit it to himself or not.

"Why're you grinning like an idiot?" Han asked him suspiciously. "You wish they were princesses of Hapes?"

"Absolutely not," Bail said immediately, his face pinching up distastefully. He shook his head. "No, I'm quite happy with how Leia's family life has turned out, thank you," he said firmly. Han gave him a faint smirk, and Bail went on: "Did Mon not want to grant her leave?"

Han snorted.

"Doesn't matter if she didn't want to, she legally has to."

"Well, yes, of course, but if she's effecting some kind of guilt-trip - "

"I dunno, Leia said it was more that she just seemed overwhelmed, like _she_ needed help, and she was stressed to see Leia go," Han explained, frowning. "But Leia didn't really take time with Noura. I mean, she did, but it was flexible, it wasn't like with Jaina," he pointed out.

"And with this new baby she'd like to do it more akin to how she did with Jaina?"

"Yeah," Han said. "She's having her office _plan_ for twenty eight weeks of leave."

Bail carefully did not say anything, and Han rolled his eyes.

"Yeah," he said again, "she's full of bantha shit, she'll go back after two months," he said, agreeing with Bail's silent doubt. He shrugged. "I don't care how she does it s'long as she's comfortable."

"That's really all that matters," Bail agreed. He frowned again. "If you think I need to speak with Mon, I will. I'll be subtle, of course," he said graciously.

"Thanks," Han said.

He drew the bottle away from Noura. She seemed to be falling asleep. Gently, he transferred her to his shoulder, and Bail took the bottle from him and set it aside.

"Can I have?" Jaina asked, eyeing it.

Bail hesitated.

"You don't want this," he said. "It's for babies."

Jaina puckered her lip at him, and before he knew it, Bail was lurching over and handing over the almost-empty bottle. Han gave him a look, and shook his head.

"Jaina, if you're thirsty you can have water," he said. "Do you want water."

Jaina shoved her teeth into her fruit moodily. She shook her head.

"She's fine," Han said, rolling his eyes.

Jaina eyed him in a way that promised she would try to get revenge for the denial later. Bail tilted his head.

"I think it's very nice they aren't princesses," he said thoughtfully, watching Jaina gnaw, in the most inefficient of ways, at her fruit. He nodded, thinking to himself. "There is such _freedom_ they'll grow up with, absent of that burden. I know we placed a lot of responsibility on Leia from a very early age. And Breha and I were certainly not as involved as you and Leia are, with parenting," he reflected. "It was just the way of things. Other aristocrats thought it odd that we had Leia brought to us every morning and every evening unless we absolutely _had_ to leave her. I don't think my own mother ever touched my _or_ my sisters' nappies. Not once."

He paused, eyes drifting from Jaina, to Noura, mostly asleep with her head on Han's shoulder. Leia had certainly never cried and whimpered in horror when he or Breha left the room.

"Of course Rouge feels we're losing a sacred tradition, a birthright, but," Bail shrugged. "Things change, don't they? And that you've been able, so far, to keep Jaina and Noura's lives so private despite your own public personas," he leaned back, folding his arms. "They really are very lucky children."

Han ran his hand over Noura's head, patting down her soft, dark hair. He smiled, leaning his cheek against her temple.

"Well," he muttered. "They're _my_ princesses," he muttered, giving Bail a defiant look, daring him to laugh.

The last Viceroy of Alderaan did not laugh, he merely smiled, leaning forward and holding his arms out to Jaina. She got up and hopped forward, standing between his knees, and he helped pick some of the seeds out of the middle of the Shuura, because they were bitter, and he knew she didn't like them. She giggled, picking at them with him, and he was pleased she hadn't thought to scratch any of her spots for the past few minutes. Next to him, Han suddenly snorted in disbelief.

"What?" Bail asked, shooting a sideways glare at him.

"Nothin'," Han retorted. "S'just, sometimes I still can't believe you ever disapproved of me," he taunted.

Bail rolled his eyes. He bent to kiss Jaina's head, thinking of several ways he could spoil her and leave Han to deal with the consequences, and then he smirked, and sat back a little, looking over at his son-in-law.

"I meant to ask," he said. "What's this I hear from the Rogues about you marrying Luke and Mara?" he asked, snorting. "I know that squadron is a bunch of gossips - "

Han cupped his hand over the back of Noura's head, grinning. He shook his head, opening his mouth to relate the story, and Bail pulled Jaina on his lap and leaned back to listen. He wondered if Breha was at peace somewhere, able to observe this scene, and see the vastly unpredictable life her husband had ended up having, and her two perfect little grandchildren. He himself really couldn't imagine anything more suitable for Leia than this life she had, and he was certainly looking forward to welcoming a grandson into it.

* * *

_\- alexandra_


	4. Chapter 4

a/n: i hate exactly one half of this chapter.

* * *

**_13 ABY_**  
**_Coruscant_**

* * *

Leia was adamant that Noura's first Life Day be a special affair. A private, _small_ affair - not some gaudy, ostentatious _carnival_, like many children's Life Day celebrations seemed to be these days, but something meaningful all the same. She wanted a time for Noura to be the undisputed, heavily fawned over, ultimate center of attention. As a second child, she had never quite had that, and already Leia was worried that Noura had gotten less one-on-one attention than Jaina had, and was about to get even less, ending up squashed between a confident, vivacious older sister and a newborn brother who would come with all the demands on his parents' that newborns naturally came with.

Han thought she was worrying herself too much. He couldn't see Leia neglecting any of the kids, no matter how busy she was, and he definitely thought her perception of their treatment of Noura was skewed, and unfairly critical of herself. Sure, Noura wasn't an only child, and they _were_ busier parents, but they were also smarter, more confident parents, and a lot of the anxious, hovering attention they'd rained down on Jaina just wasn't necessary with Noura because they had what Jobal Naberrie called parenting _street smarts_ about it. He often wanted to remind Leia that they weren't short changing Noura, they were just better at letting her be independent. For example, Han knew it was fine if Noura woke up on a leisure day morning and was left to entertain herself in her crib for half an hour while he and Leia got as much extra rest as they could. Listening to her grumpily demand _Mama_ or _Dada_ periodically wasn't going to kill or traumatize anyone. Besides, sometimes Jaina got up and went in there and sang to her or threw crackers through the crib bars, which wasn't an_ ideal_ form of babysitting, but Han thought it was hilarious. And sometimes Zozy scaled the crib and sat in there with Noura, which always left her fascinated and quiet.

Rouge had been horrified the first time she discovered Han and Leia let Zozy in the crib with the baby, but she came around to their side quickly when Leia explained why. When Noura was smaller, and in a scary habit of rolling over onto her back in her sleep, she'd spit up in her sleep while doing just that, and Zozy had climbed into her crib and chirped loudly and aggressively until Han got up and came to see what was wrong. He'd swept the vomit out of her mouth and stopped her from choking, but since Noura hadn't been able to cry, if Zozy hadn't been making such a racket, Han might not have heard her on the baby monitor. Leia had been at work at the time, and though she'd sensed Noura didn't feel good, Zozy had raised the alarm before the baby went into significant distress.

Needless to say, Rouge _easily_ decided Zozy was a valued member of the family.

A little celebration for Noura was a much needed affair, and it was held in the expansive private gardens at the Alderaanian Embassy, sprawling out from the greenhouse where Leia had once sat with her father and debated over whether or not to tell him about Han, right then in there. In hindsight, she wished she _had_; then he wouldn't have been blindsided at that fateful press conference, and perhaps he and Han would be friendly faster...but hindsight was pointless rumination, now, she noted in amusement, as she watched her father and Han loudly arguing over who was more of a pushover when it came to the kids.

"How is it me?" Han was demanding. "_How_? Jaina bit you, _again_, and you asked her if she felt like she'd gotten all of the _angry _out of her _system_? What kind of nonsense - "

"What would _you_ have done?"

"Time out! Biting gets her a time out!"

"Well, _well_," Bail spluttered. "You pick Noura up _every time_ she whines for you!"

"So do you, _Bail!_"

Leia grinned. She looked down at her one-year-old daughter. Noura was perched in her lap - or what was left of it, with the baby there - both of them settled on a downy picnic blanket in the middle of the gardens. The older children were playing a hiding and finding game - a_ very _rudimentary version of it, as Jaina was the oldest, and the others were mostly just toddlers - and their mothers were seated with Leia amidst the wildflowers.

Jaina presided over the game while Marisol Celchu, Kofi Calrissian, Niaz Vex, and Kerrie Awuulu, Tavska's little girl, pranced around trying to get the hang of the game. The men milled about, boasting and arguing with each other. It was a good group, and the children played well together. Leia knew they would have welcomed Noura and treated her like a queen if she wanted to join - surprisingly, Jaina seemed to have taken the directive that this was Noura's day to heart - but Noura was still suspicious of walking.

She'd do it if she was being held onto, but the moment anyone let her go - or she released a hand on accident - she'd usually give a piercing shriek of outrage shock and drop right down on her bottom.

Leia bent and kissed her on the top of the head, right smack in the middle of the braided flower crown circlet Winter had fixed for her. Noura kept reaching up to pat the little tiara - she didn't grab, just patted - and beam. Everything about her felt content and fascinated, and Leia embraced that feeling, letting it magnify in her own heart.

"Here," Ryoo said, knocking a goblet of dark red wine gently against Leia's shoulder. "The only good part of the last stretch of pregnancy is that you can finally have a taste of the sacred again," she joked wryly.

Leia took the goblet, and Ryoo dropped to her knees, settling herself on the blanket.

"Niaz, spit that out," she said, without turning around. Behind her, the two-year-old spat a mouthful of flowers onto the ground and grinned, a stem stuck between his teeth. Leia was fairly sure he was two - perhaps three? He was younger than Jaina and older than Noura, and every bit a little boy stereotype. Ryoo and Jobal Naberrie were the only two who were able to make it out to Coruscant - other than Pooja, of course, who was a semi-permanent fixture. The rest of the family, young ones included, were all beholden to school, work, or charity demands.

"Any of the flowers in here poisonous?" Ryoo asked blithely, arching a brow at Leia.

She shifted, crossed her legs, and leaned forward, balancing a drink of her own on her knee. Leia laughed.

"No, but arallute seeds are very bitter," she said.

"Perfect, that's self-correcting then," Ryoo said brightly. She gave a jaunty wave to Noura. "Still enjoying your day, darling?" she asked.

Noura grasped gently at her flower crown and nodded, leaning into the crook of Leia's knee.

"Like," she said pleasantly.

Other than_ Mama_ and _Dada,_ Noura said two things: _like_ and _not like._ Pretty useful things, as far as primitive baby language went.

"Does she like the idea of a baby brother?" Ryoo asked, arching a brow at Leia.

"Oh, we don't think she understands at all," Leia said frankly. "We haven't really tried to break it to her. She touches me a lot, though," Leia said thoughtfully, pressing her hand to her abdomen. "She'll rest her hand, or her forehead, here. So we certainly think she can sense him. But she's also come into her sense with him always being there."

Leia shrugged.

"Jaina is _not_ happy," she said dryly.

"Still?" Ryoo snorted.

"She heard Winter talking about adoption, asked what it was, and is now convinced we should give the new baby to Aunt Winnie," Leia answered.

Ryoo shook her head.

"She'll come around. They always do," she sighed.

"Kofi. Kofi. _Kofi_," Lando's voice echoed around the garden, sounding exasperated.

Leia looked around, but couldn't spot either of them. She was saved from asking when Tendra sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Kofi is very bad at hide and find games," she said fondly. "He hides in plain sight. Drives Lando nuts," she explained.

From somewhere in the trees, they all heard Lando give an exasperated groan, and then a shrill giggle sounded, and the sing-song, piping voice of Kerrie cried "_Found_ you!"

"She thinks humans are easy to find because they're so loud," Maisie, Tavska's mate, said, blushing.

"As if her montrals don't stick up high above her hiding spots," Tavska said fondly, handing a glass down to Maisie. Maisie blushed again. She was a little overwhelmed to be included in an intimate party for Princess Leia's daughter. She had certainly met Leia, many times, but as Tavska said...she never got over being a little starstruck. And she blushed constantly.

"But has Jaina fully welcomed _Noura_, at this point?" Ryoo asked, leaning forward.

Leia nodded, gently patting Noura's back.

"Yes, other than normal little bouts of jealousy," she said. "She's quite protective of her. She wants to help her go down stairs, but we don't let her yet. She wants to teach her to scoot."

"That's so cute! Maiah and Iver pushed Niaz into the lake at Varykino last week," Ryoo said, her brow darkening.

Jobal and Pooja shared an amused grin at that.

"Nothing like good old fashioned sibling rivalry," Winter snorted. "I look forward to presiding over it soon."

"You're adopting, aren't you?" Jobal asked.

Winter nodded.

"Yes," she said. "Tycho and I had...been unsure if we were ready, if we wanted another, if we wanted to go that route or foster, but," Winter trailed off. "A young girl in one of Rouge's Diaspora interest groups found herself in a situation," Winter said politely. "She didn't want to terminate but she didn't want to have a baby, and Rouge knew Tycho and I were thinking about options for another, so," Winter shrugged. "Serendipitous, really."

"When will you take them home?" Maisie asked, her head tails twitching softly with interest.

"She's due in three more months," Winter said. "She's to have a boy," she added, "and we're going to call him Arlo," she added proudly.

Leia arched her brows, delighted. She knew all about Winter and Tycho's plans, but last time they'd talked there hadn't been a name yet. And Arlo -

"Is that significant to Alderaan?" Ryoo asked, tilting her head.

"It means trickster," Leia answered, grinning. "Father used to call Winter_ arlolita_, or little trickster."

Winter beamed, and nodded.

"Arlo Perrin Celchu," she revealed, and shrugged. "Tycho likes the name _Perrin_," she added, before anyone could ask.

"What a lovely name," Jobal murmured kindly. "I wonder, did Tycho spend any time on Naboo during his service? Perrin is somewhat popular in Theed."

"Oh yes, that's where I've heard it!" Pooja said, giving a snap of her fingers. "Queen Saroya's brother is called Perrin," she said, "and so is my friend Sevra's son."

"I think he served with a man called Perrin during the Rebellion," Winter said, nodding, "and since you've mentioned it, I'd bet this Perrin was - hey, TYCHO!" Winter called, cupping one hand around her mouth.

Tycho swung around, looking at her from where he was standing with Luke and Mara. He arched a brow.

"Why are we naming the baby Perrin?" she asked.

Tycho cleared his throat.

"My codebreaker," he reminded her. "Perrin Y'tuga. The Nubian guy. He died at Sullust."

Winter nodded, waving in thanks. She turned to the Naberries and shrugged.

"Small world, how we all end up connected," she remarked.

Leia's eyes lingered on Tycho, Luke, and Mara for a moment, her fingers idly playing with Noura's hair. She was glad Luke had been around to be included in Noura's celebration, since he'd been off-planet when Jaina turned four, but she thought Mara felt a little alienated, being the only woman here without a child. Well, aside from Pooja, but Pooja was so close to Ryoo's children that she was completely at ease around them and besides, her mother and sister were there, which made the company effortless for her. Leia didn't want Mara to feel like she had to hang out with the men just because she wasn't a mother. Then again, perhaps Mara wanted to.

Catching Leia's eye, Mara gave her a small, wry smile, and inclined her head, as if she could read Leia's mind. And as she gave that little nod, Kerrie came darting out of some shrubbery, followed heartily by Jaina. Jaina launched herself at Kerrie and all but tackled her to the ground, shrieking in triumph, and both little girls rolled over to tumble at Mara's feet.

"GOT YOU!" screamed Jaina, elated.

Leia opened her mouth, appalled at the tackle, but Han was quicker.

"Jaina!" he barked gently. "What are you doing? What's the _matter_ with you?" he asked, exasperated. "She's half your - "

"She's fine," Tavska interrupted. "She's younger but our younglings are bigger than yours, they're sturdier," she said, matter-of-factly. "Kerrie, are you hurt?" she asked.

Kerrie gave a muffled chirp from under Jaina.

"That's a giggle," Maisie supplied.

Han still glared, and folded his arms, peering past Lando and Bail at them.

"Let her up,_ Jaina_."

Jaina sat up. She twisted to look at Han and the others.

"I _got_ her," she insisted.

"Jaina," Leia called, raising a brow. "You're the oldest, you're supposed to set good examples. Is tackling people to the ground a good example? Do you want to be tackled to the ground?"

"Yes," Jaina retorted stubbornly.

Leia gave her a look.

"Alright, then," she said. "Kerrie, feel free to tackle Jaina."

Kerrie scrambled up and launched herself right back at Jaina, and the girls rolled over in another cartwheel of legs and arms. Maisie squeaked, her cheeks turning red again, waving a hand at herself as if she would faint at the idea of her child wrestling with Princess Leia's daughter. Han grinned at the sight, but watched sharply to make sure no real hurting was being done. Leia was just about to turn back to her circle when Kerrie let out a strangled yelp that could not be interpreted as a giggle by _any_ species.

Tavska turned her head, narrowing her eyes critically to watch. Jaina was lifted into the air immediately by Han, and he tucked her under his arm almost as if she were Zozy. She dangled with her lips pursed, staring down at Kerrie, who sat up, grasping at her head anxiously.

"I didn't mean to!" Jaina howled.

Kerrie's face puckered, and Maisie struggled to get up, wriggling out from Tavska's grip - she'd been leaning back against her on the blanket. Tavska tried to still her.

"Wait, Maisie," she muttered. "She's fine, let her self-soothe."

"Let me _go_, Tav," snapped Maisie, losing some of her timidity.

"What happened?" Ryoo asked slowly.

Jaina's lips puckered, too.

In the melee, to Leia's surprise, Mara knelt down, reaching out with one hand to Kerrie. She was closest to her, as the tussle had taken place at her feet, and she paused right before touching the toddler.

"May I pick your child up?" she asked, looking up at the Togruta women.

Maisie blinked nervously, though Leia was sure it had nothing to do with Mara - her background wasn't necessarily common knowledge, and Tavska probably hadn't shared it with her wife. Tavska shrugged, her face unreadable, but apparently interested in what was going to happen. She nodded. Mara carefully lifted Kerrie off the ground, showing no sign of surprise a the youngling's weight, and seemed to hesitate for a moment as if deciding how exactly women did that trick where they balanced children on their hips.

Leia glanced at Luke and he shrugged, folding his arms. He looked curious, but fascinated. Mara rested her palm around the edge of Kerrie's montral, which was what she'd been tugging at and favoring. Kerrie watched her, and then after a moment, perked up, and her burgeoning montrals twitched happily. She beamed.

"Hurt gone!" she called. She twisted to wave at her parents. "Hurt gone!"

Mara nodded.

"Jaina had her elbow on the montral, here," she explained, pointing. "She didn't notice. It hit these nerve points," she said, pointing. "Very sensitive in babies, I believe," she noted, eyeing Maisie and Tavska.

Tavska had let Maisie go, and Maisie brushed herself off, hurrying over to take Kerrie. Kerrie took her time leaving Mara's arms - she seemed to think it perfectly cozy there.

"Yes," Maisie breathed, nodding in confirmation. "They're still maturing - how did you know?" she asked, interested.

Mara only shrugged. She didn't answer, but Leia sensed her grow a little withdrawn on the inside, and she hoped no one pressed Mara further. She doubted it was anything as sinister as Mara ever having hurt Togruta younglings, Imperial assassins dealt with much more dangerous foes than babies, but if she had ever been privy to any of the Empire's files on experimentation - well, Togrutas has suffered heavily as the Empire tried to learn how they might use the unique nerve functions of Togruta montrals.

"What did you do?" Maisie asked curiously.

Mara pursed her lips.

"I made it feel as if an icepack was on the sore spot," she said finally, "and then drew the sore feeling into my hand," she said, flexing her fingers.

"Doesn't that make it hurt you?" Tendra asked, piping up from the blanket. "I don't mean to pry. I'm not familiar with the Force."

Mara shrugged. She shook her head. Behind her, Luke caught Leia's eye and gave a subtle nod, contradicting her - yes, Mara would have taken the pain into her hand, but for an adult, what had hurt Kerrie so badly was probably nothing more than the feel of a splinter. Leia smiled at her brother, and then at Mara, and Han swung Jaina upright, pointing at Kerrie.

"I know you didn't mean to," he said. "Can you tell Kerrie you didn't mean to hurt her?"

Jaina, looking stricken, for once in her life, nodded. She lunged over Han's arm and reached out to pat Kerrie's arm.

"I am sorry," she said. "I did not mean to pinch your ears."

"Not ears," Kerrie said, patting her own head. "_Monties_." She then pointed to her ears, which were tucked underneath the montrals. "This ears," she said.

"Oh," Jaina said politely. "Sorry I pinch the monties."

Maisie laughed. She set Kerrie down on the ground, and Han followed suit with Jaina.

"Can we agree to play more gently?" Leia called.

Jaina nodded, and took Kerrie's hand to lead her off.

"We gotta find boys," she said earnestly. "Boys still hide."

"If the boys are the only ones still hiding, where's mine?" Winter asked dryly, looking around. "Tycho, go make sure Marisol isn't dead in a thorn bush," she ordered.

Tycho nodded, and strolled after Jaina and Kerrie, seemingly also to keep an eye on them as they went back to play. Leia grinned at Han, nodded, and then turned back, bending to kiss the top of Noura's head again. She certainly didn't mind that Noura wasn't walking yet. It was one less thing to worry about.

"Younglings are sturdy," Maisie said, sighing as she returned to sit back down. "I have to remind myself that ten times a day."

"We all do," Ryoo said sympathetically. "Especially with the first. It gets much easier with the second, the third," she listed, and then smirked wryly, thinking of her youngest. "If you ever end up with a fourth, well, by that time when you see them eating dirt you just think, oh good, I don't have to make lunch."

Jobal snorted.

"Padme ate a flutterby once," she said. "Snatched it right off a flower and put it in her mouth. Alive. And Sola saw it and cried so hard I thought she'd have a stroke."

The women erupted in laughter, and Leia pulled Noura back against her, tickling her ribs fondly. Noura grinned contently.

"Well, maybe we'll have more," Maisie said, eyeing Tavska slyly.

"I certainly won't," Tendra said confidently. "It is exceedingly rare for anyone to have more than one child on my homeworld, and it's a cultural practice I can't shake," she snorted. "Kofi is a handful, anyway," she added, looking around, her eyes narrow. "And so's his father," she muttered.

Leia snorted.

"Lando's a good man, though," she offered.

Tendra sighed fondly.

"Yes," she agreed, "he is."

Noura sat up a little and reached up to pat the crown on her head again. She took a deep breath and spontaneously waved at Winter, and Winter tilted her head, amused. She waved back. Noura swiveled her head and looked up at Leia. She strained forward.

"Nainy," she said, quite clearly. She pursed her lips. "Nainy," she said again, a whine creeping into her voice.

Leia looked at her in surprise.

"What?" she asked. "What was that, Noura?"

Pooja got up on her knees excitedly and put her hands together.

"It sounds like she's saying 'Jaina,'" she exclaimed. She grinned, and nodded at Noura. "Is that what you want? Your big sister?"

Noura peered at Pooja thoughtfully, and then looked back at Leia. She tugged at Leia's shirt.

"Nainy!" she said insistently.

Leia looked up and over her shoulder.

"Han, Noura said a new word!" she called excitedly.

Han extricated himself and strolled over, followed eagerly by Bail.

"Did she say Baba?" Bail asked.

"Why would she said that?" Han retorted innocently. Bail elbowed him.

"She said - " Leia started, only to have Jaina come skipping out from some ivy bushes. The four-year-old scuttled into the midst of the blanket carefully and beamed, summoned, it seemed, by some ethereal link to her sister.

"Nainy-is-HERE!" she announced dramatically, bowing to Noura. She put her hands on her hips and looked around smugly. "She ask for me," she told them. "I am Nainy."

"Oh, you are, are you?" Leia asked softly.

"It is easy because she not can say _J_," Jaina retorted. She pointed to her head, and then Noura's. "So I tell her...Nainy."

"Nainy," Noura said with a beam, grabbing onto Jaina's wrist hard. She looked at her eagerly, and Jaina gave her a tug, drawing Noura into a sitting position. Leia raised her brows, and Han crouched down behind Leia, resting his chin on her shoulder to watch.

"Be careful with her," he warned Jaina.

Jaina gave him an indignant look.

"Am careful always," she retorted.

Han cocked a brow.

"In your world," he muttered.

Jaina grabbed Noura's arm tightly, helping the baby stand up. She patted the flower crown on Noura's head.

"I show you game," she said. "I show you hide," she promised. She turned to look around again. "Nor is my sister," she said smugly.

Jobal beamed at her great-granddaughter. It didn't quite remain cute and heartwarming. Jaina turned and pointed at Leia's abdomen.

"Not share with him," she added brightly. "_No_ sharing Nor. Come on, Nor. I show you hide."

With that, Jaina half-swept Noura up, taking her under the arms and sort of half walking, half lugging her towards the flowery hiding mazes. Leia felt Han tense up, looking at them grimly, and she reached out to put a steadying hand on him, her fingers brushing against his thigh behind her. He grunted and lifted his head, eyeing the girls.

"Jaina," he started, despite, Leia's warning touch.

"Calm _down_, Han," Ryoo snorted, and Leia could imagine the offended look on his face. "_Please_, really - Iver used to drag the twins around like that, and the twins drag Niaz around in turn," she said, waving her hand. "It's a right of passage."

"What if she drops Noura on her head?" Han grumbled, watching Jaina manhandling their youngest.

"They bounce," Jobal quipped wryly.

Han shot her a glare. Behind him, just off the the left, Bail folded his arms, watching the two little Solos warily. Lando was busy laughing in _heavy_ amusement at the scene.

"Seems to me like Jaina's got as many harebrained ideas as her old man," Lando snorted.

"At least mine doesn't hide in plain sight," Han retorted loudly.

"Han," Leia hissed, "stop making fun of other people's children."

Han grinned. He pressed a kiss to the back of her neck. They heard a rustle from the bushes as Jaina tripped and she and Noura both fell into the midst of them. Bail started forward, and Leia snapped at him with her fingers, shaking her head.

"Leave them," she said. "They're both fine, and Noura wants to play," she assessed confidently. She had a tight reign on threads linking her to both girls right now, and neither of them were expressing anything other than amusement and happiness.

In fact, Noura's aura was swirling with anticipation and concentration. She seemed half up to something, which Luke confirmed when he said, out loud:

"Oooh, she's up to something. Feel that?"

"Yes," Leia confirmed quizzically, tilting her head and watching closely.

Jaina hopped up and helped Noura up, as well, holding her hand. Behind her, Marisol peeked out from behind a small snowdrop tree, watching. She tottered for a moment, then sat down, watching the girls. She had found a fallen arallute, and held it in one hand, shaking it idly. Jaina saw it, and pointed.

"Rattle," she said smoothly. "Shake shake, for the baby," she said, pointing from the arallute, to Leia. "Shake shake," she repeated.

Marisol considered it, and then slowly ambled up, and toddled over to Leia. She smiled shyly, and handed her the folded up flower, making it rattle as she did. Leia took it from her warmly, and touched her nose to Marisol's, smiling.

"Thank you, angel," she said.

Marisol blushed, drawing her hands up, and stumbled back, falling happily into Winter's lap. Winter scrunched her nose and grinned fondly. Leia turned her attention back to her own daughters in time to see Jaina casually drop Noura's hand and let her stand on her own.

Han laughed.

"Cue the hysterics," he muttered, waiting for Noura to notice she was unsupported.

Noura wobbled, and looked at Jaina. Jaina folded her arms.

"You walk," Jaina said. "You walk. No trouble."

"Hey, Jainy, c'mon," Han said gently. "Don't push her."

Jaina gave him an annoyed look.

"She can," she retorted. "She scared."

Leia pursed her lips. Noura continued to sway, but after a few moments of Jaina's encouragement, she took a few steps, smiled at herself, and paused. She considered everyone looking at her, laughed, and then sprung into a toddler's attempt at a dead run, dashing towards the blanket at full speed. Leia gasped and winced, too bulky to react quickly, and Han for once seemed quite startled by the turn in events. Bail was the one most able to move, quick as a flash, and be there to catch Noura at the exact moment she tripped over the blanket and went sprawling.

He caught her at the shoulder right before she busted her nose and lips, but when he crouched to steady her back on her feet, instead of teary-eyes and puckered lips, he found Noura's face to be shining with abject glee. She gave a shriek of triumph, looking earnestly at Leia, and reached out her hands, ready to go again. Jaina jumped up and down smugly.

"See!" she cried. "Not scary!"

Leia held out her hands, and Noura wriggled away from Bail, coming unsteadily towards Leia. She turned around in Leia's arms and sat right down in her lap, snuggling up primly, and Jaina giggled, gnashing her teeth happily.

"Mama is not mad at you," she crooned, and Leia looked up, startled.

"Mad?" she asked. "Why would I be mad at Noura for walking?" she asked, stroking the baby's hair.

Han bent down to cup Noura's cheek, and then kissed the side of her head, and looked back at Jaina with equal consternation, tilting his head. Jaina shrugged, she hopped a little closer, and swung her hips, twisting back and forth.

"She just think so," Jaina told them. "She think," Jaina paused, patting her head thoughtfully. She lowered her hand to tap her chin, then looked at Leia hard, and looked at Luke hard, seeking translations. The way she communicated with her baby sister was entirely its own affair, though, and Luke was incapable of picking up the gist. Leia was better at it, because they were her babies, but Noura and Jaina still very specifically had their own thing.

Jaina frowned. She tried again.

"She think...it hard to walk, if she walk, it hard for Mama," Jaina explained.

Leia's face changed after a moment. She cringed guiltily, and looked down at Noura, touching her cheek gently.

"No," she said, communicating verbally, and non-verbally. "I'll never hold you back, Noura," she said.

She shook her head, looking over at Han in wonder.

"She must have sensed me being grateful she wasn't walking yet," she murmured, sharing a sheepish glance with the other women, as well. "You know, it's all out the window when they can move," she added.

She was met with fervent nods of agreement, but Han reached down to lift Noura up and stand her on her feet again.

"You don't worry about Mama, Noury," he said sternly. "She can handle _anything_. 'Sides, now I get to chase you," he threatened, raising his hands.

Noura stared at him with wide eyes, and Jaina crouched and let out a shriek, knowing exactly what Han's raised, bent fingers meant. She took off at a run, her voice echoing:

"Run, Nor, RUN!"

Noura jumped, wanting in on the game, and Leia felt a surge of thrill through their bond. Han gave her a head start, watching her very carefully pick her way off after Jaina, and then he grinned and got on his hands and knees, stalking off slowly after them. Marisol giggled and bounced out of Winter's lap, trotting up next to Han. She put a hand on his shoulder.

"Tranta!" she cried, and pointed as if directing a hunt.

Winter and Bail burst into laughter, but Han allowed Marisol to guide him towards the others. Leia leaned back, her lips pursed, and turned her head to catch Luke's eye. Mara was looking at her curiously, too, and she shook her head in wonder - every day with these little girls was a new discovery, some nuanced aspect of the Force. She didn't know how she felt to know that Noura had been astute enough to pick up, in some way, on her own harried relief that she only had one child who could walk, but she was glad Jaina had encouraged the reticence out of her.

Being a mother to such perceptive children was difficult; Leia knew she'd have to take extra care as they got older, and honed their skills, to keep herself available, but private as well. Not all the trials of motherhood were wonderful things for her daughters to sense - and the same would go for her son. As her thoughts settled on him, the new baby stirred and gave a lazy kick, which Leia rested her hand against. He relaxed again, calm under her touch, and reached out in a stream of light colours and soft humming sounds that Leia knew - from her experiences with Jaina and Noura both - to be an unborn baby's way of identifying their mother.

Reflected in her children's perceptions, she was always soft, kind, and comforting, and it augmented the way she thought of herself when she still had moments of doubt and darkness. It was a wonderful thing to dwell on in the moments when she felt overwhelmed, or when wariness and doubt over how she would fare with a third child crept in - the connections, the ups and downs; they were all worth it to watch them thrive, and it would be just as new and fascinating to go through the same thing again - this time, with a son.

* * *

With Han's hands moving steadily through her hair, surrounded by frothy bubbles with a relaxing, floral scent, and submerged in steamy water infused with a gentle salt additive that soothed muscles, Leia decided this was as good as she was possibly going to feel while nearly at full term of a third, unplanned pregnancy. Easy as it had been - and it had certainly been, hands down, the breeziest of her pregnancies - she was _over_ it; a very strong desire to not be pregnant any more, or ever again, at that, had overwhelmed all of her lingering anxieties about how hard it was going to be to have yet another infant.

She was just ready to have him.

She was also unsure how she was going to manage getting out of the bathtub. Getting into it had been ungainly enough, though Han insisted that her derogatory remarks about her appearance and her lack of grace were nonsense. She pushed that vague wonder to the back of her mind though, and immersed herself in enjoying this quiet time. Jaina and Noura were asleep, and had been perfect angels all day. She was due any moment in the next few weeks, and things were going well - regardless of Han's anxieties, she felt _good. _

"Am I s'pose to be braiding this stuff in, or just working it through?" Han muttered, massaging her scalp.

He was at work with a thin bottle of the expensive oil conditioning treatment Leia sometimes used on her hair. She'd sat down to do the tedious work much more frequently before she'd had children, but Han had offered to do it for her tonight - and she certainly hadn't argued. Coupled with the warm, relaxing bath, this evening had been rather like heaven so far. Treating her hair like this was tedious despite the fact that she didn't keep it as long as she had when she was younger, and Han was being very diligent.

"You can braid it," Leia murmured, shifting her head a little, "but you don't have to. You can knot it up in one bun when it's all coated. It sits for half an hour."

"But if I braid it, you can run the hot dryer over it and leave it in all night, and it lasts longer," Han grunted.

Leia arched a brow, and tilted her head back up at him lazily. He grinned at her.

"I read the bottle," he told her smugly.

She smiled, and nodded, letting her head fall forward. She felt him start drawing her hair into easier sections to braid - three or four simple strands was easy enough for him; he did Jaina's hair all the time. Anything more elaborate than a three strand or a water weave stumped him, though. His hands moved pretty adeptly, and she sank down a little lower in the bath, lazily running her palm up and down his thigh.

"Your back feel any better?" Han asked.

She nodded.

"The salt steam cleared my sinuses, too," she murmured.

"Good," Han grunted. He'd bought it a few days ago at a maternity boutique when he was out buying shoes for Noura - since she was actively walking all the time now, they were stocking up. Leia never really bothered with baby shoes until they were mobile.

Han's elbows brushed gently against her shoulders as he tended to her hair, and Leia let her eyes drift open and closed languidly, more than eager to just enjoy the pampering. She was actively forcing herself not to think about the upcoming ordeal she'd face when it came to _having_ the baby; she already knew it wasn't going to be a quick affair, which was a little disappointing, since Noura had taken her time, as well. This was different though, because -

"Is he still," Han ventured, keeping his voice low and cautious. "...upside down?" he asked.

Leia pursed her lips, taking her time answering. Han was cautious because he knew his concerns were annoying her, and she was trying not to be too snippy with him. It was just that she knew there wasn't any reason to worry; she was positive, beyond positive, that nothing traumatic was going to come of this, no damage to her, or the baby, and she was firmly convinced in her choice.

She ran her hand over her abdomen, resting it at the bottom of the curve and pressing her palm lightly. The baby was awake, though contemplative, and when he felt her touch, he shifted a hand towards her palm.

"Yes," she said finally.

Han made a quiet noise in the back of his throat, a noise that might have been exasperated - more of a quiet sigh than anything. For the latter half of Leia's pregnancy, the baby had been breech - which Han repeatedly called _upside down_ no matter what everyone told him - and Dr. Mellis hadn't found cause for concern in it. _They flip all the time_, she said easily, _we'll keep an eye on him._Two weeks ago, when he'd still been the wrong way, she'd said there was still a chance he might turn the right way, but she was going to go ahead and expect Leia to have a breech delivery, and then had offered up the option of a planned surgical birth. Leia was adamantly against a surgical unless it was deemed absolutely necessary for her or the baby's safety, and as Dr. Mellis was experienced in breech birth and worked, along with her midwives, at attending them as often as was safe so that the skill remained sharp, there were no plans to make any incisions.

Han, however, had made the mistake of reading some things again. He trusted Leia, and he trusted her medics, but the possible complications scared him.

"Sweetheart," he started carefully, twisting together the ends of one of her braids. "Are you - "

"If you have trapped me in this bubbly spa paradise to berate me about the surgical, I will divorce you," Leia said.

"'M not gonna _berate_ you," Han said grumpily, scowling at the back of her head. "S'just...it'd be over so fast," he said. "And you'd know the day, and time, and it'd be safer," he said, essentially going right on with giving her the same pros that he'd already latched onto, and that Dr. Mellis had offered when she'd laid out every course of action. "It'd be easier," he tried.

"It would not," Leia argued stubbornly. "The recovery time is _much_ longer. I'd be limited in even being able to pick him up, and I'd have to forget about holding Jaina and Noura for a while. It has its own cons. It's not automatically easier just because I wouldn't have to push. I'd have a scar, I'd have a completely different aftermath that I'm not prepared for," she shook her head.

Han paused.

"I don't give a fuck if you have a scar," he said, indignant. "You think I -"

"I have enough _in_voluntary scars," Leia interrupted. "Call it vain if you want to, but I don't want a massive incision across my stomach if I don't need one."

Han started moving his hands again, braiding slowly.

"I don't think it's vain," he muttered hastily. He sighed, frowning to himself. He didn't want to sound like he was trying to make demands on what she did, but sometimes his patience did get tested just a little. He knew her body was her body, but at the same time, she was his wife, the mother of his children, and it was his baby, and he wanted them both to be safe and comfortable and it just baffled him that Leia wanted to go the hard way when most women, in modern history, usually chose a routine surgical. Babies weren't _supposed_ to be upside down!

"Han, Arksiah and Xio have extensive experience delivering breech babies with no issue. It's a fading skill. I know you think I sound like some...prehistoric mystic obsessed with the old ways or the natural order but it...it's really not that. I'm comfortable with labor and delivery the way _I know _how to do it. A surgical makes me very, _very_ nervous," she admitted, swallowing hard, "I can't explain why. I'm not against it. If I need to have it done, I'll have it done."

She ran her hand over her abdomen gently, comfortable with her point of view. Han made a faint grumbling noise. She smiled to herself, at least until he took up his next crusade -

"Yeah, okay, fine," he said, "but how come all of a sudden you don't want an epidural?"

Leia suppressed an irritated groan.

"I don't _not_ want an epidural," she retorted.

"_You said_ \- "

"I think I want to _try_ going without one," she said moderately. "You know damn well I'll start screaming for it if I change my mind," she added, giving a small snort of laughter. She shrugged. "He's my last baby and I'm...interested. Maybe. To see what it's like without the drugs."

Han's grumbling was less faint this time. He seemed to think talking to Tendra Calrissian had brainwashed her. Tendra hadn't taken any sort of pain relief at all when she'd had her son.

"You want to refuse an epidural when he might come out wrong and hurt more."

"That's not how it works, Han. It doesn't hurt _more_ if a foot comes out first."

Regardless of his tension, Han's hands remained gentle as ever as they continued to work through her hair.

"Marisol was fine," Leia reminded him. "She was breech."

"Winter had an epidural," Han retorted.

Leia sighed, though it was a fond sigh.

"I just don't think you gotta prove your mettle as a woman by not havin' drugs," Han muttered. "You tore pretty bad with Noura."

"Prove my - where did you read that?" Leia snorted.

Han didn't say anything for a moment.

"Nowhere. Your dad said it," he answered.

"Well, I'm glad you and Father have come to a point of familiarity that allows you to discuss the tears in my vagina."

Han gave a bark of strangled laughter. He shook his head - it hadn't been _that_ explicit of a conversation. He grinned a little, and paused a moment, leaning forward to rest his cheek on the crown of Leia's head.

"Leia," he murmured softly, kissing her hair. "S'just...you were kinda worried about the pain being triggering, when you had Jaina," he said. "You're not anymore?"

Leia shrugged.

"I'm not as worried, no. I don't have any negative associations with labor pain, even if it does have a nexus to sex," she reflected. "Labor pain is...excruciating, but it's...empowering. It makes me think of the girls, and of you."

"Oh. _Thanks_," he said under his breath.

She squeezed his knee, and he jumped a little. He grinned, and went back to braiding her hair.

"It was just a thought," she soothed. "Han, listen to me," she said quietly. "I know what I can take and what I can't. You have to trust me."

Han nudged her ear with his nose.

"I trust you, Sweetheart," he said huskily. "I don't want you to hurt, or put yourself at risk. That's all."

"I know," she agreed calmly, and silence fell between them, a silence which she was sure indicated they were signing off on this conversation for a final time, at least until the time came for the baby to arrive, and Han likely got all worked up all over again. At least, she was sure until Han shifted in somewhat of a sheepish way, and cleared his throat.

"You said...that somethin' was off, though," he said, a last ditch argument.

"For Sith's sake, Han."

He held onto her braid stubbornly, his jaw tightening.

"Don't blow me off," he pushed back. "You did. You were tossin' and turnin' and you woke me up and you said somethin' was different."

"I know what I said," Leia said irritably. At her change of tone, and the spike in her heart rate, the baby stirred with interest. He jut a foot out towards her ribs, and she winced, arching away from the kick, and reached up to fumble for one of Han's hands. "Here, tell your son to calm down," she muttered. As usual, she intimately tied the touch of Han's hand to a bundle of emotions in the back of the baby's head, repeating a bonding ritual she'd started to perfect when Noura was a baby.

The baby recognized Han immediately.

"Calm down," Han said sternly.

In spite of herself, Leia smiled.

"I know what I said," she repeated, her tone gentler. "And I told you, I don't understand what feels different. It's just different. I also believe I told you, repeatedly, that he was physically healthy, and Arksiah confirmed that," she reminded him. "I can't explain it. It might just be," she trailed off, biting her lip. She really didn't understand what the strange feeling was; it was just out of her grasp, like a wisp of smoke she just couldn't hold onto. "Noura and Jaina didn't feel exactly the same, either," she said. "For all I know, he just has an entirely different sense because he's a he."

Han grunted. He moved his hand, and pressed it more firmly against her skin. He was rewarded with a kick - softer this time - of solidarity.

"Feels strong," he said.

"He's fine," Leia said confidently. She shrugged. "Maybe he's got a tongue-tie and that's all."

"A what?"

"It's when part of their tongue is too short," Leia murmured, yawning. "It makes it hard to nurse. It needs a small fix," she went on. "Marisol had it."

Han grunted again, slightly suspicious, but he nodded, as if he had decided to take that explanation and run with it. Leia yawned again, and when he didn't say anything for a long pause, she rolled her shoulders back comfortably. The conversation really did seem over this time. Truthfully, as much as her irritations did flare at him, she didn't mind him wanting to know all her reasoning and cover all the bases. He would never be truly involved in childbirth, not like she was, but Han did everything he could to be at her side and carry what burdens he could. It was fair for him to be worried. It was fair that he might be feeling ostracized right now because he thought she was being stubborn. She was fine with Han having his own opinions about this and fine with him expressing them, as long as he understood that his opinion on the matter would never be law.

Evidently done braiding, Han moved to massaging her shoulders with focused, intense strokes. Leia closed her eyes, half-convinced he might be able to make her climax _just_ from that. Not that she'd tell him that. His head would get too big.

"You got any ideas for names?" Han asked, dropping a kiss to her temple.

Leia shifted, humming thoughtfully. She nodded.

"I do think we ought to honor Father in some way," she murmured. "We both dislike the name Bail, but," she trailed off.

"Prestor ain't bad, though," Han said, shrugging.

"I'd prefer it for a second name. It's rather...ostentatious."

"What's it mean on Alderaan? Prestor?"

Leia thought about it, straining to remember. Not all Alderaanian names had any particular meaning other than sounding nice, but usually royals chose names that had origins and meanings in the ancient language.

"Wise," she decided finally. "Wise or sage or thoughtful or something," she said, waving a hand casually.

"Guess his mother had high hopes for him," Han said solemnly. "Pity he didn't live up," he quipped.

Leia rolled her eyes.

"I was thinking we should call him Max," she offered.

Han began to drive the heels of his hands into her shoulders. She bit her lip.

"Max," Han repeated. "That's Corellian."

She nodded.

"Jaina's got the Corellian name," Han said slowly. "And I picked Noura's, 'cept for her second," he said. "Maybe he should just have two Alderaanian names."

Leia shrugged.

"I like the name Max," she said. "It's solid, strong, and it translates easily," she listed. "It's three letters and one syllable, like yours," she added. "And it suits pretty much any second name we choose - like Max Prestor," she explained. "It doesn't always have to be an epic journey to a name choice," she said simply. "We can just like the name."

Han grinned, and didn't point out that she'd given plenty of meaningful reasons. He wrapped one arm around her in a loose hug, and nodded, resting his cheek on her head.

"Max is good," he agreed.

"Good," Leia said faintly, "because I kept forgetting to bring it up, but I've been calling him Max for a few weeks. He answers to it."

Han laughed loudly.

"What d'you think would happen if we changed it when he's born?" he asked, amused.

"Perhaps we'll find out if I have some sort of violent mood swing and decide to name him Vader Sheev."

He laughed again. He hugged her closer, and Leia leaned back into him, smirking. She sank lower in the water, marveling at the staying power of the bubbles, and admiring the cozy steam. In the back of her mind, she felt the little warm auras that were her sleeping daughters, at peace and comfortable - Jaina snug in her room, and Noura sprawled out in her nursery, with Zozy guarding the door. The new baby - _Max_ \- was well on his way to join his sisters in sleep, and Leia took Han's hand and kissed his palm reverently.

"Can I have that back?" he asked in a low voice, flexing his hand. "I'll finish your massage."

Leia released his hand, but instead of going back to her shoulders, he let it drift down her side and between her legs. She let her knee fall to the side, and sighed, her head lolling against his chest.

Their family was ready for one more, needed him, even. She and Han would be content and complete - she was past all her anxieties and dreads and eager for Max, and she was simultaneously - deliriously - happy to know she'd never be pregnant again. In so many ways, it was bittersweet - she'd have to cherish Max particularly closely - but there, too, was a sense of freedom going forward.

* * *

_-alexandra _


	5. Chapter 5

a/n: 3 is a good (and final) number!

* * *

**_13 ABY_**  
**_Coruscant_**

* * *

Han pushed his palms into the door with more force than he had intended. The loud slap of it, followed by the frustration in the shove, made him wince at himself. A vague voice in the back of his head suggested his behavior was uncalled for and unhelpful. That voice needled at him - demanding to know why he was leaving. When Noura was born, he'd been lucky he'd been able to be there and now - he was storming out? Did he really have the gall to be angry at his wife when she was going through this for him? But no, Leia _hated_ it when he thought of it like that, constantly reminded him that she was not, absolutely not, having babies _for_ him; they were having children together, and biologically, she just happened to have to do most of the physical work.

He came striding out of the delivery suite with tension riddled throughout his neck, shoulders, and back. His jaw was drawn into tight, irritable lines, and it twitched as he lifted his arms, pressed his palms behind his head, and let the door bang shut behind him. He took a deep breath and let it out in a rough rush, forcing himself to loosen the clench of his teeth. Bail and Luke were seated right outside, idling the hours away on a bench. There was no need to make them nervous.

At Han's appearance, Bail turned, bracing a hand on one knee and giving the just-slammed-door a mildly surprised look. It was uncommon for Han to be so...agitated. He hadn't been much of a panicked husband even when Jaina was born, much less Noura, and this was his third. Then again, this was taking about as long as Noura, Bail had noticed - and seemed even longer, waiting in the Med Centre as he was - and Leia was apparently being -

"No luck?" Bail asked, half-hopeful.

Han had come out to update them an hour ago - or had it been two? - but he'd been terse and distracted. Bail had hoped that the next they they saw him, he'd be holding a newborn.

Next to Bail, Luke stirred sleepily. He rubbed one eye and sat forward, yawning, and then shaking his head with a dry cough. He looked to be half in a trance, which Han figured was because he was busy shielding himself from Leia's exertions. Han lowered his hands and thrust both of them at the door, exasperated.

"She won't budge," he said, nearly snarling. "She won't listen!" he exclaimed, in spite of himself.

He ran one hand through his hair tiredly, turning back towards the door. He stepped up to it, listening, and heard nothing. Leia wasn't making much noise anymore, anyway. She was tired, and when instructed by the midwife to be as loud as she wanted, Leia had replied snappily that screaming wasn't actually helping anything. Xio, their faithful midwife, had merely shrugged, shared a look with Dr. Mellis, and continued attending Leia how she wanted to be attended.

Bail sighed, giving a small frown. He'd waited patiently for the handful of hours it took for Jaina to come into the world, beyond excited to welcome his first grandchild. He'd waited excitedly while he cared for Jaina when Noura had been born, whiling away the hours while he entertained the three-year-old and trusted Han to enlighten them when the time was right. This time around, Jaina had been in her early education program - started recently - when her mother went into labor, and Noura had been in the affectionate, fawning clutches of Rouge. Rather than scramble everyone around, Han and Leia had just left for the Med Centre, and Luke and Bail, with no other commitments at the time, trickled in for support, if only because they both knew there were some risks and possible impending complications with this boy's birth. Noura remained with Rouge, for the time being, and Chewbacca had picked up Jaina to carry her to her great-aunt.

Though he didn't say it out loud for fear of scaring Han, or agitating him further, Bail thought Leia was acting quite like Breha, in this situation. While he always found his late wife's strength and determination admirable and awe-inspiring, more than once Bail had argued and pleaded with her to just give up, if it meant he could have her safely at his side at the end of the day.

"What does Arksiah say?" Bail asked carefully.

Han rubbed his mouth roughly.

"That Leia's not really in distress," he said, gnashing his teeth. "Neither's the baby," he admitted bitterly. Then he went on, picking up steam: "But it _could_ go south, pretty damn fast, _that's_ what she and Xio keep saying, and Leia ignores them, because she senses it's not gonna," he griped. He smacked his knuckles against one palm, shaking his head, "and if it does, what the fuck, what the _fuck_, am I gonna do with two little toddlers on my own, and maybe a baby, if he's okay, but she's not? Noura still falls over when she tries to run - "

"Han," Luke interrupted suddenly, his eyes wide. He cringed. "Leia's not going to die," he said skeptically, arching a brow. He yawned again, and that rankled Han, disturbing his nerves further. He rounded on his brother-in-law, his lips drawing back, his eyes clouding darkly.

"She's fine now," he snapped, "and that's why she's bein' so - so," he spluttered, reaching up to put his hands behind his head again. He shot Luke a nasty glare. "She didn't used to trust the Force this much," he said, accusations unspoken in his tone.

"The Force would never hurt her," Luke said sharply. "Even if the Force were autonomous, which it really isn't, it's gentle around Leia. It loves her. If she thinks she's safe - "

"'If she thinks' my ass," Han barked.

Bail gave him a mildly alarmed look.

"Han," he said quietly. "I don't think you have to worry," he immediately regretted his word choice, winced, and corrected himself. "I _know_ you're worried. But I don't think Leia would go as far as to risk her life or the baby's life if she wasn't confident in the outcome."

"But she doesn't have to do this!" Han snapped, ready to tear his hair out. He swallowed hard. That was the problem. To him, it just seemed like Leia was putting a bunch of unnecessary stress on herself, taking a bunch of harebrained risks, to prove something, or to avoid the inconvenience of a surgical intervention. Why didn't she understand that he'd be there to take up all the slack the extra recovery would leave? "If she just relents now, and has a surgical, then this is over. She's exhausted, and I don't understand..." he trailed off.

Why the hell wouldn't Leia just give in and have a damn surgical delivery? Then he could calm down and rest easy, and they could just enjoy baby Max and rest a little longer and go home. He'd listened to her reasoning against it, he knew she just didn't want it, but suddenly that wasn't a good enough reason for him. It just seemed stupid, no matter how stable the doctor said she was right now. He felt a stab of irritation towards Arksiah and Xio - if they told Leia she needed a surgical, she'd acquiesce in a heartbeat, he _knew_ she would. They were women and they were doctors and Leia trusted them. But both of them were hellbent on catering to Leia's wishes unless it became absolutely medically necessary to violate them.

Leia refused to listen to Han's concerns or his worry, though. She was fiercely confident in her ability to do this, and Han was proud of her because of that, but her insistence that the recovery would be too long drove him nuts. As if he would ever expect her to get back on her feet quickly; as if he would care if she needed more time and attention.

"Breha never wanted the knife either," Bail said quietly. "I had to step back and understand that perhaps I would never understand it."

Han's eyes flashed, alarmed, and his father-in-law winced.

"Go talk to her," Han snapped, eyeing him. "Go talk some sense into her."

"What can I say to her that you haven't, Han?" Bail asked calmly.

"Tell her about Breha," Han retorted. "Tell her - "

"I absolutely will not go into that room and try to scare Leia with gruesome stories about her mother," Bail snapped.

Han grit his teeth, snorting. He grimaced at himself for suggesting it.

"Well. You're her father. Make her...listen," he said irritably.

Bail suppressed a laugh, and Han shifted restlessly. He put his ear to the door again, listening. How long had he been out here? He should go back in. No matter how anxious he was, he should be standing next to Leia. She'd told him to come out here and clear his head, though, and come back when he could be - what had she said? - a _help_, and not a _hindrance._ His chest ached. He never wanted to be a burden to Leia, especially not at a time like this. When Jaina had been born, he'd pulled her into the world himself. With Noura, he'd sat right behind Leia, holding her shoulders, helping her with the last few minutes. Was he failing her now, because he was scared? Because as much as he'd come to appreciate the Force - how could he not, when his two little daughters were such magical parts of it? - it was still something he could neither touch, nor see, and who was he to rely on it when conventional medical wisdom usually just surgically delivered breech babies?

He'd never been one to rigorously question Leia's decisions about her body. He didn't make her do things. He didn't guilt her and shame her for what she wanted; he never had. Yet he was so scared, and he felt like she was in so much pain, and so tired. Extreme duress could cloud her sensitivity, couldn't it?

"She's doing better than you think," Luke remarked suddenly. He yawned, again, and Han clenched his fist, resisting the urge to slap the yawn off his face. "Definitely tired, though," he snorted. He lifted a hand and touched his temple.

Han fought the urge to smack him again. The door opened, and Dr. Mellis stepped out, giving a small wave to Bail and Luke. Her face was impassive, and she leaned in the doorway, pulling down a cloth mask from her nose. She glanced at the family, and Han grunted, tacitly consenting to her unspoken question; yes, she could speak in front of them.

"Baby's okay," she said firmly. "Leia had some excessive bleeding with Noura, and that can sometimes happen with breech babies, so I'm worried about that happening again. We're keeping an eye on it. Everyone's blood pressure and heart conditions are good," she said.

She offered a few more statistics, and her words buzzed in Han's head. He stared at her, unblinking, and then abruptly, without listening, turned to look at Luke, seeing him in a new light. He narrowed his eyes at him, and Luke looked back warily, startled at the intensity.

"Luke," Han snapped, suddenly struck with clarity. "Go help her."

"Wha - ?"

_"Go help her!"_

He was thinking of all the times Luke had helped Leia meditate, how she'd said she felt stronger when they manipulated the Force together. Years earlier, Han might have been jealous at the idea of sharing this experience with Luke, but he no longer spared any energy for any jealousies regarding Luke. They were twins, they were connected in ways Han would never be able to comprehend, and that didn't diminish his own deep connection with Leia. Theirs, in fact, was stronger, because it was meticulously constructed and worked for, rather than mostly innate from birth.

Luke stood up, a bit dazed, and then nodded, his face falling into a mask of determination. Dr. Mellis pursed her lips.

"Just a moment, Han. I need consent from Leia for him to come in," she said.

Han folded his arms, gnashing his teeth, but nodded.

"I'll ask her, though," he said, grumbling. He slid past Dr. Mellis, and left her standing with Luke in the doorway.

He made his way across the room to where Leia was. Xio sat cheerfully on a stool between her legs.

"Why don't you try sitting up?" Xio was asking. "Move to sit on the edge of the bed."

Han strode to her side in time to help her do just that. Leia seized his arm hard, moving forward. Xio helped her pull her feet out of the stirrups. Leia gasped for breath, her eyes fluttering open and closed. Her grip on his arm was hard and demanding, and Han licked his lips. Her skin was pale and covered in a slick layer of sweat.

"Is that better?" Xio asked.

"No," Leia forced out.

"Would you like an epidural?"

"_No_," Leia snapped.

Han forced himself not to say anything. He swallowed hard, and then glanced at Xio.

"Why do you want her to sit?" he asked.

Xio was tossing a sterile blanket on the floor beneath Leia's dangling feet.

"Because I'm going to have her stand to try to coax him out," she answered. "Gravity," she added, with a wink. She pointed. "He's not footing breech," she said, and Han was pretty sure they'd told him that already, but it had gone in one ear and out the other. "Which is good. We just need to get his head out immediately, when he starts coming."

"Is he still not - "

"Oh, he's right here," Xio said, pointing some more. "Leia's resting. She can't have a break when it's time to completely delivery. Head has to come out fast," Xio repeated.

Han swallowed. He nodded, and leaned forward to take a peak. He felt the absurd urge to laugh. He was used to seeing the crown of a head, but instead he was seeing - well, the other end. He straightened back up, and stroked Leia's hair.

"Hey, definitely a boy," he joked.

Leia tilted her head back and made a sound through gritted teeth.

"Did you come back," she started, panting, "with a better," she winced, "attitude?"

Han grinned bravely.

"Yeah, I brought reinforcements," he said. Dr. Mellis was tapping her foot by the door. "I want Luke to come in," Han said. "You don't want 'em to cut you open, fine, I get it," he said earnestly, "but I want Luke to help. With, uh," Han felt awkward saying it, "the Force." He swallowed hard. "Can he come in?"

To his surprise, Leia nodded swiftly. Her eyes widened, and she seemed intrigued, even relieved, by the suggestion.

"He can't look," she said tightly. "He has to stay," she leaned back, bracing one arm on the bed, and grit her teeth hard.

"Do _not_ push," Xio instructed.

Leia seemed to listen. Maybe she was just too tired to push.

"Stay at my shoulder," Leia finished.

Han nodded. He turned and gave Dr. Mellis a nod, and she quickly dragged Luke into a corner, doused him in a shower of sterilizing air, and thrust a gown, gloves, and hair cap to him. Looking nervous, but fascinated, Luke hurried over, hovering by Han. Han moved, grabbing Luke's hand, and placing it in Leia's.

"You got to stay right here," he said firmly.

"What are you going to do?" Luke asked anxiously.

Han grinned at him tightly.

"Catch."

He stepped around Xio to Leia's other side, sliding one arm through hers and gripping her hand. Leia squeezed back hard, and Han heard Luke inhale sharply as she clutched his hand, too. Han looked up, and watched Luke's face take on the serene, intensely focused look he got when he was channeling his power very specifically. Leia nodded to herself, her eyes opening, and she looked sharp, invigorated - reinforced.

"Luke," she said hoarsely. "You can sense him?" she asked, grinding the words out.

Luke nodded, his head tilting curiously.

"Tell him - get him," Leia panted. She winced hard. "Make him - straighten - his - knees," she ordered. "His legs," she forced out. "Make him put his feet...by his ears," she forced out.

Brow furrowed, Han watched. He glanced at the medics, and Dr. Mellis looked fascinated. She felt Han's gaze, and turned to him, matter-of-fact.

"A complete breech is when the baby has his legs crossed at the ankle, and is positioned to come out bottom first," she said, "a frank breech is when he has his legs straight up, feet by the ears. Frank breeches are easiest to delivery."

Han nodded.

"You help him," Leia instructed Luke. "I'm," she bit back a yelping noise and took a moment to take a few deep breaths. "I'm focusing on my, my," she broke off, and then leaned sideways, heavily, into Han. "_Fuck_, this hurts," she moaned.

She targeted all of her strength at dealing with the pain and monitoring the baby's vital signs. She felt Luke there, too, tentatively talking to his nephew. Doing it all herself hadn't been sustainable, and the haze of pain had stopped her thinking of asking Luke to come in and help. She'd have to thank Han for that one - and soothe him, when she was able to, because she knew he was a mess. He didn't understand, though - she _knew_ she could do this, and she was determined to do so; she was fascinated with the idea of accomplishing it. She knew how terrifying birth was for the babies; she didn't want it made worse for Max by having a knife or a laser slashing into his haven.

She took a deep breath, drawing on an inner core of strength, relieved that Luke was there to take some of the strain. She opened her eyes, and looked at Arksiah and Xio hard. She nodded firmly.

Xio nodded back at her, and Arksiah drew her stool over towards the midwife, both of them at Leia's knees.

"Stand up," Arksiah instructed.

Leia did, relying mostly on Han and Luke to steady her arms. One of the labor pains seared through her back so violently her vision went black and she stumbled - but she didn't come close to falling. Han was like a rock on her left side, refusing to let her lose her balance. That helped as much as Luke's soothing attention to Max.

"Wait for my count," Arksiah said, "and then bear down."

"What if he hits the floor?" Leia asked wildly. The question sounded ridiculous even to her.

She heard Han snort, and turned to glare at him hazily.

"No one's going to let him hit the floor, Sweetheart," Han said.

"_Now you choose to be laid back?_" she growled. Her vision went spotty again, and she moaned. "I'm," she said faintly. "I'm going to vomit."

Xio was quicker than lightening in handing Han a sterile aluminum bowl. Leia lunged for it, but quick as it had come, to nausea was gone, and instead the pressure between her legs was unbearable.

"Luke-are-his-feet-by-his-ears," she managed to grit out in a rush.

She was fairly sure Luke said yes, but she didn't wait. She worked with her body, this time surrendering to the need to push, and both drew on Luke's strength and trusted his assurance that he was easing the baby's stress about what was happening to him. When Xio had first suggested it, she thought it sounded incredibly odd to stand up and have the baby, but now, gritting her teeth so hard against the pain that she feared she'd shatter her jaw, she thought she probably should have had the girls like this, too.

She wondered if Jaina and Noura had hurt this much, and then wanted to laugh at herself - of _course_ they had; she just hadn't felt a bit of it, thanks to the epidural. This pain was blinding and pure, absolutely indescribable, but bearable because she knew it would heal, knew that biology would somehow bid her forget it, as all women were hoodwinked into forgetting, because if they weren't the species would have died out long ago.

This was the worst of it by far, searing, sharp, _tearing_ pain, but still she felt powerful, and as bad as it was at its peak, it was quite abruptly over. The height of the pain, over in an instant, but so wrenching that in her exhaustion she came quite close to actually passing out. She heard a _thud_, and hazily thought it was her, but she blinked, and she was upright - or rather, sideways, collapsed against Han. He was busy hauling her back up onto the bed, grinning, his hand shaking, and though her muscles protested, she rallied herself and began to sit back, gently pushing him away.

"Hold Max," she said tiredly. "Hold Max."

Falling back against the pillows, she laughed. She listened to Max's startled cries, and felt his shock and annoyance at being so rudely thrust into such a cold environment, but he quieted quickly enough when he was wrapped in a blanket and handed to Han. Leia brushed at her hair, pushing it away from her face as she relaxed. Every part of her ached and throbbed, and to her mild annoyance, Xio and Arksiah were already back between her legs with cool cloths.

"We'll do that in a few hours," she heard Arksiah say, and remembered, vaguely, that she was having her tubes tied today, as well. "Where's the neo-nurse? Someone needs to grab an adrenaline bouquet."

Leia's brow furrowed. She turned her head, struggling to sit up, and Han was suddenly at her side. Max kicked in his arms, strong and healthy, clearly unfazed by the unconventional birth, and Han looked thrilled and relieved, hanging over the rail of the bed.

"Here he is," he said proudly, handing him towards her. "He's okay," Han said. "You're both okay."

Leia sniffed bravely, giving him a look that clearly said _I told you so. _Kriff, she was tired, though. She could fall asleep. She could easily fall asleep right here.

"Do I need stitches?" she asked faintly, hazily.

"_Oh _yeah," Han said, wincing sympathetically.

Leia groaned. She didn't take Max right away, not trusting her arms, but she pressed her palm to his brow lovingly.

"Hi, sweet baby," she murmured. "Luke," she started, turning her head to thank him. She cocked her head, blinking blearily. "Lu...ke?" she called warily. She leaned over a little more, and her eyes widened.

A nurse was crouched beside her brother, holding a bundle of - were those..._smelling salts_? Adrenaline bouquet, Arksiah had said. And Leia _had_ heard a thud - confused, she looked back at Han, who was clearly trying not to laugh. Attempting to look solemn, he cleared his throat.

"He, uh, passed out," Han choked out. "His arms hit the bed rail, though, so that slowed him down. His head's okay."

Leia just blinked, dazed. She frowned, and Han reached behind her to fluff some pillows so she could sit up easier. Brow furrowed, she felt distracted and fatigued. She reached for Max, and Han helped her take him, and she still looked at Luke, too - was he that squeamish? She'd explicitly said he wasn't to look, anyway!

He was sitting up, looking at the nurse with a grimace, and then looked up at Leia, gazing down at him with the baby in her arms, and Han, grinning smugly. He grimaced, and Leia felt a throb of agony from his side of the Force, and she gave a little rueful gasp. Luke, to Han's surprise, muttered a string of extremely colourful, offensive curses.

"_How_. How do you..._how_ do women..._how_," Luke rambled, groaning. He clutched at his abdomen.

The nurse was helping him up, smiling serenely, handing him water. Leia winced and turned to Han to explain.

"He felt it," she said grimly. The last thing on her mind had been shielding; Luke must have been able to sense a modicum of the physical pain she'd endured, and even a modicum of that was absolutely heinous. Perhaps he'd taken some of the strain off her, even, by blacking out when she'd felt like she was going to. She bit her lip, looked down at Max, and then laughed huskily.

Han hit a latch on the bed, dropping the rail, so he could lean in close to give her a kiss. She accepted it, and then cupped her palm around Max's tiny head, stroking the sparse, downy hair that grew there. She touched his hands and his toes and his cheeks, and then bent to kiss his nose - and she drew back, tilting her head curiously. Han watched her, content, and kept a lazy eye on Luke, who the nurse was still wryly fussing over. Then, Leia looked up, a inscrutable look on her face.

"What is it?" Han murmured, tilting his head.

Leia pointed to one of Max's ears.

"He's deaf in this ear," she said firmly.

Han blinked, cocking his head. His brow furrowed. Leia pursed her lips.

"That's it," she said. "That's what felt different. What was...odd. He's deaf in this ear," she repeated.

Han hesitated, at a loss, and glanced helplessly at Xio and Arksiah. They'd clearly heard, as they were both looking up at Leia intently. She nodded, almost to herself - this soon after birth, she was still so closely connected to the baby she could see through his eyes, hear through his ears, feel through his skin - all in an intangible way, of course, and that ultra intimate closeness would fade, but she could tell. She knew.

Arksiah and Xio shared a look, and came closer, thoughtful looks on their faces. They hovered, but for a moment Leia kept them at arms length, instead dropping down the shoulder of her gown to coax Max to nurse. It was a relief to finally pinpoint what that needling, _off_ feeling had been, and it didn't affect Max's health, so it was something he could be poked and prodded about later. She wanted to nurse him a little before he went off for vaxes and a bath. When he latched on, she looked up at Han, and smiled.

"You might as well have Father come in," she allowed.

Han nodded, and stepped back to do so. Leia heard his footsteps fade away, and was aware of Luke, a cup of water in hand, coming back to stand woozily at her side, but her attention was focused on Max. She nudged his senses, and he responded warmly, and contently, nursing away. Already he was more acclimated to the different environment, and for a moment, Leia let herself hear the world through his ears, and it was quieter, and it was different, but it was still as perfect as he was.

* * *

After some blessedly relaxing time to wash up, have a meal, and take a luxurious nap, Leia felt more alert - though no less sore. She'd taken some mild painkillers for the muscle aches that plagued her, and for the persistent throbbing around her stitches, but for the most part this was the familiar aftermath of childbirth, and she handled it with grace. She had a tiny new incision low on her navel where Dr. Mellis had gone in to perform the tubal ligation, an procedure so minuscule and unobtrusive that she barely noticed it, compared with everything else.

She was in a recovery room in the company of her father, sitting up in bed surrounded by fluffy pillows and downy blankets, eagerly anticipating Han's return with their son. Luke had bowed out about an hour ago to carry news to his nieces, who were now together with Chewbacca and Rouge at the Embassy Residence. Leia wouldn't be returning home for another day, and she'd decided it would be best to introduce Max to his sisters at _home_ rather than having them tramp through the Med Centre. They could wait, and she could get some rest.

Bail sat at her side, still beaming with the pride that struck him after all of his grandchildren were born. Repetition never dampened the excitement for him, and of course, this one being a boy was a new thrill all in itself. _Max_, Bail thought - a good, simple, easy name, and when he'd heard the lungs on the boy - heard him screaming through the door when he'd first been born - he thought it was damn fitting.

Her father grinned, shaking his head.

"I _still_ find it hard to believe Luke passed out."

"Do not ridicule him," Leia defended protectively. "Men are not built to handle this sort of pain," she pointed out. "He wasn't ready."

"I am not ridiculing!" Bail protested. "I said I find it _hard_ to believe. Luke is an incredibly strong person."

Still, there was a small smile on Bail's face, and Leia gave him a disapproving sniff. Luke had been an incredible help to her at the end. Splitting the effort with her, he'd been able to finally help Max understand he had the room to shift around a little and help Leia out. Why he felt the need to come out backwards was beyond her, but she'd known he was different from the start. And this thing with his ears...

Both Xio and Arksiah agreed that it would be hard to tell exactly what the problem was, _if_ there was a problem, until Max was old enough to follow instruction and take a comprehensive hearing test. There were ways to read his brain waves and possibly detect if he was processing sound, but Leia felt all of that research unnecessary. She knew implicitly that she was right about his hearing, and as all else was healthy, they would just monitor it and wait. And learn sign language, that was a given. Babies were quicker to pick up signs than verbal languages, anyway.

"I almost passed out as well," Leia said mildly.

"Understandably," Bail said dryly. "Going through all this without any pain medication," he clicked his tongue. "Admirable."

"I didn't do it for admiration," Leia said. She shrugged. "I wanted to know what it felt like. Gruesome curiosity, that's all."

"All of a sudden, on the third child?" Bail asked.

"Well, obviously. If I'd felt that on the first, I'd never have had another," Leia retorted.

Her father laughed. He supposed that was a fair point - and he was glad to have both Noura and Max, so he nodded, and let it stand.

"Remarkable, all the same," he said. "No matter how it's done, it's quite a feat. For any woman."

Leia, in utter agreement with that, inclined her head. Bail shifted restlessly, and checked the chrono at his wrist.

"Should he be back?" he asked.

Leia shrugged. Time was moving slowly. In the back of her mind, she felt the gentle, new bundle of sensitivity that tied her to Max. It occasionally spiked with irritation, outrage, or pain - reactions to his new shots, a bath, et cetera - but overall he was safe and at peace. The feeling glowed with contentment for the most part, and that's how Leia knew when Han was holding him.

"Arksiah had four other babies today," Leia said. "Perhaps the nursery is crowded."

Bail gave a low whistle. And yet, the woman had seemed cool and collected all day, never giving a hint of the stress she must be under, attending that many women.

"Perhaps it's taken longer because Han has decided to have him cut," Bail ventured.

"Maybe," Leia agreed. "I doubt it."

"You truly have _no_ opinion on it?" her father asked curiously.

Leia tilted her head. Before Max had been taken to have his routine check ups and vaxxes, Xio had asked, offhanded, if Leia wanted him cut. She'd blinked in hazy confusion, and then realized with some shock that she hadn't even considered that. She was used to having girls, and no such thing existed for them. Han hadn't ever mentioned it either, and a flush had tinted her cheeks as she scrambled for an answer. It seemed simple, though; she'd merely told the midwife that it was Han's decision.

Which, of course, had caught Han off guard and sent him into a panic - _Me? Just me? Why just - but, Sweetheart - _Leia had almost laughed at him. He was so used to deferring to her about the babies, she'd had to point out that Max wasn't a part of her body anymore. He was his own person, but he was too young to understand things or be asked about them. Therefore, in her opinion, the decision over whether or not to cut him - circumcise him - belonged entirely with his father.

She, after all, didn't have a penis. And Han was likely better equipped to decide what was the better way to go, having one himself, and having run in men's circles for his entire life. She knew her father's curiosity was piqued because it was an undisputed tradition on Alderaan to circumcise; it just always had been - in fact, it was in most of the core worlds.

"It's worse if he decides he wants it when he's older," Bail warned, wincing. "It's so common. Many people react oddly to an uncut - "

"Well, yes, I can imagine it's a worse pain as an adult, but you can't stick it back on, if he decides he wants it," Leia pointed out wryly. She lifted one shoulder. "It's Han's decision," she said firmly - and she could honestly say she had no preference, and didn't care either way.

"And you think he won't do it," Bail said skeptically.

Leia didn't say anything for a moment, and then she arched an eyebrow.

"It's my understanding that conventional wisdom holds boys are prone to feel alienated if they don't look like their fathers do," she said, almost cryptically.

Bail furrowed his brow.

"And?"

"Han's not," Leia said simply.

"Han's not what?"

"Cut."

Bail looked more fascinated than Leia expected.

"_Really_?"

It was almost a gasp, and Leia snorted quietly, giving him an amused look. She shook her head a little. It had never occurred to her to think it odd, even when she'd first gotten that close with Han. It wasn't as if she was particularly accustomed to the other sort, anyway. She pursed her lips a little, hesitant. She wondered if she should be mentioning Han's...state...at all, but sometimes the lines blurred, when it came to childbirth. It sort of wiped out all pretenses of modesty. And if Han was going to discuss her _tearing_ with Bail, well -

"Did that startle you?" Bail asked bluntly. "Did you not know what to do?"

\- on second thought, that actually might be too far. She swallowed the urge to make a biting, scandalous joke, and instead demurely said nothing for a moment, before going on, her eyebrow raised slightly at him.

"It's kind of a thing of privilege, isn't it, Father?" she asked, though she was pointing it out, rather than actually inquiring. "Han was likely born in an emergency clinic, or possibly at home, not in a high end center that does it as a matter of routine. I think it's a half-and-half procedure on Corellia, anyway. As many people _don't_ do it as those who do."

Bail looked thoughtful. He folded his arms, mulling it over, and then realized he'd essentially just asked his only daughter to regale him with her opinions of her husband's nether regions, and he frowned at himself, flushing slightly. Time to end this conversation, and end it _hard_. Which he was saved from doing by Han's reappearance.

He strode into the room casually, Max tucked safely in one arm. He was visibly more at ease than he had been all day, and it was a relief to see. The baby appeared to be asleep; he made no sound as Han strolled over and sat down on the edge of Leia's bed, facing both her and Bail. Leia leaned forward to inspect the baby, who was now swaddled in a soft, brilliant green blanket, complete with a cozy knit cap on his head. It wasn't one provided by the maternity ward, but rather a light blue one decorated with Leia's symbol, the falcon, that Rouge had made four years ago for Jaina. Max was the third Solo baby to wear it.

"He's quite peaceful. I didn't sense any alarm or trauma," Leia murmured, looking up wryly at Han. "He's intact, then?"

Han nodded. He'd been anxious over Leia making him decide, but she'd been quick to assure him she truly did not care, and was not testing him to make the correct decision, so he went with what he knew. Leia cupped her hand around Max's sleeping head, and very gently bent to kiss his smooth forehead. He smelled so good - all babies did, and she lingered, cherishing it. She felt no regrets about going through with the sterilization procedure, but it was still humbling to acknowledge that this was her very last baby.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught her father looking fascinated again, and rolled her eyes at him.

"Keep an eye on him around Dad," Leia warned Han, amused. "He's going to sneak him off and cut him himself," she joked.

Bail's draw dropped.

"I would do no such thing!" he insisted, indignant.

"Uh," Han said, frowning. "Did I break a tradition?" he asked warily.

Leia simply rested her hand on his cheek warmly, and shook her head. She didn't feel that he had, not one bit. Max would be like Han, and that was all she could ask for her son, in both temperament and appearance. She cocked her head a little pointedly, and Han nodded, clearing his throat and reaching out to hand Max to Bail. Bail eagerly leaned forward to take him. He'd held Max already, shortly after he was born, but he was always excited to do so again. He had always liked children, and babies were so cuddly - it was even _more_ of a blessing when they were his family.

As always, when he held one of Leia's children, he thought of Breha, and there was such soft nostalgia and sweetness to it. Breha would have loved these children beyond belief. They would have been healing balms on her soul, and lovely gifts in their own right, and Bail always missed her twice as much when he reveled in moments she would have cherished. He hoped, as he always did, that higher powers were a reality, and Breha could witness this somehow, and rest easy.

"We're, uh, glad you're here, Bail," Han started, nodding firmly.

They had sort of expected him to be watching the girls, as he had watched Jaina when Noura was born, but it hadn't worked out that way, though this was nice for what they were going to do.

"Makes it be more, you know, ceremonial," he joked.

Bail gave him a searching look, and waited.

"We'd like to call him after you," Leia supplied quietly. "His second name."

To her surprise, a pained look crossed Bail's face.

"Don't do that to him," he requested. "My name is awful. Celly used to tell me Mother was playing a joke on me because I was a boy."

Leia raised her brows, amused, and Han snorted.

"Yeah, we know," he agreed.

Leia nudged him with her foot, glaring. There was no need to tease her father _further._

"That's why we're gonna call him Prestor," Han said. "Max Prestor."

Bail tilted his head.

"Ah," he said, looking down at the sleepy baby.

He was stirring, his little eyes fluttering until they finally opened and fixated on him in that dreamy, unfocused way newborns had about them. Bail reached out to tickle his stomach, resting his palm there, and he hesitated. _Prestor._ He didn't dislike his second name. It had been his father's, and before that, it had been his grandfather's. It was regal and fine and Rouge, of course, would be delighted. But he wasn't sure if it fit this little boy, who would grow up in a world without Alderaan, unburdened by the societal pressures of the aristocracy - though his parents' fame would bring other challenges.

He looked back up, hesitating, and then going on:

"If you're to name him in honor of me," he began, "would you mind if I...chose a different name?" he asked. "I understand if that's presumptuous of me," he added quickly.

Leia glanced at Han, her face unreadable, as if she thought he'd be the one to have objection to that, but Han merely shrugged.

"What'd you have in mind?" he asked. Next to him, Leia nodded.

Bail took a deep breath.

"Well," he began again. "I hadn't had anything in mind, really," he said honestly. "I mean, I hadn't expected...but," he paused, and then looked at Leia meaningfully. "Breha took the Organa name when we brokered the marriage to end the succession crisis," he said, and Leia inclined her head, well aware. Her mother had been given the throne in person, but House Organa had been given it in name, a palatable compromise that resulted in a surprisingly tender and loving marriage for the young couple at its core. "She wanted to name a son of ours Antilles," Bail said.

He swallowed hard.

"It was a very dear thing to her, close to her heart. Obviously, we were never able to," he trailed off, not needing to finish his statement. He inclined his head. "Well. You know the story. But if his second name could be Antilles," Bail said, "I'd find that...as much in my honor as anything."

Han leaned back, bracing himself casually on his arm, and looked at Leia. She looked delighted, and glanced at him earnestly, hoping he shared her enthusiasm. He nodded, his brows going up.

"It sounds - " he started.

"Better," Leia agreed, finishing his thought. "Much _better_ \- Max Antilles," she said. She nodded firmly to herself - less stuffy, but ever bit as honorable and strong.

Han leaned forward and touched Max's cheek gently, the back of his hand pressing gingerly there. Max turned his head towards the touch happily, still blissfully silent.

"What d'ya think, buddy?" he asked gruffly. "Sound good?"

Leia watched, her eyes soft, and then she pursed her lips and looked up at her father curiously.

"You've said before that Padme named me," she said. "And you gave me my second name. What would Mama have named a daughter? Did you ever discuss that?" she asked, and she wondered why it had never occurred to her to ask before.

"Oh, all the time," Bail said earnestly. "You know how it is with daughters. There are so many more beautiful choices," he said, laughing. "The favorite she settled on was Rue," he revealed quietly. "I had a rattle made, during her first pregnancy with the initials. Just Rue. No second. I wish I had it," Bail sighed. Breha had kept it, though she'd never given it to Leia. It had been its own beloved memorial.

Han had paused. He was looking at Bail quizzically.

"But that's," he started, brow furrowing. He looked at Leia, and she shook her head, biting her lip. She hadn't known. She'd never heard her mother speak about the babies she'd lost. She'd just liked the name on her own terms.

Bail looked at Leia hesitantly, unsure what was going on. Leia swallowed hard.

"My first...our first," she said huskily. "I talked about...naming that one Rue," she said. "And we almost called Jaina 'Jaina Rue' but it was...a sore spot," she trailed off. "And I didn't know that Mama," she trailed off again, smiling.

Han ran a palm over her thigh. Bail smiled at her, his face glowing.

"That's a lovely thing to hear," he said, a feel of confidence swelling. "That tells me that she is here, with us," he said. "Somehow."

Leia smiled at him. She reached out to lace her fingers into Han's, and relaxed into her pillows, watching her father hold Max. Max, her last baby; Max, her _different_ baby, _Max_, who had been unexpected and unplanned but was no less loved, and no less wanted, even if the wanting had been anxious, and worried, at times. She loved him, as much as she loved Jaina and Noura, as much as she loved Han, and all the other members of her family, and though he signaled an end to a significant part of her life - the part during which she physically _had_ babies - he also represented how far she and Han had come, from fearful, painful conversations about children, and the loss of one, to a home full of them, all different, and all thriving, and all three wonderful, unique individuals who could seize this free world their parents had fought for, and thrive in it.

* * *

_-alexandra_


End file.
